MagaSwaga Potent Notables

Notable: Global pedophile ring bust leads to the rescue of 50 children

Global paedophile ring bust leads to the rescue of 50 children amid fears of hundreds of abuse cases

A global police operation has rescued 50 children from an international paedophilia ring, following the arrest of multiple people – including one man based in Australia.

The International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol, first started investigating the ring in 2017 after the discovery of online material showing the abuse of 11 boys, all under the age of 13.

Authorities allege the material surfaced on the darkweb through a subscription-based website with an audience of almost 63,000 people worldwide.

After surveillance involving authorities from Thailand, the USA, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Australia, the website’s main administrator, Montri Salangam, was arrested in November 2017 in Thailand.

Police allege material on the website showed Salangam abusing 11 boys – one of whom was his nephew – after he lured them to his home with food, internet access and football games.

Another man, Ruecha Tokputza, was also arrested in Adelaide before 251 pornographic videos and 415 videos were found on his phone, with some showing him as the main abuser.

Tokputza’s youngest victim was just 15 months old. It is believed he also removed one child's nappy and abused another while he slept.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/news-australia-global-pedophile-ring-50-children-rescued-interpol-adelaide-arrest-crime-world/a9d83fed-2e9d-40c4-a24d-7b7bbac76b1b

Notable: Owls = Parliament?

##FLYMAYFLY##

Q has had many drops regarding OWLS

What is a group of OWLS

a PARLIAMENT

Notable: DJT Twat WRWY

>>6575918

TY :)

In other news….Did anyone notice this twat from POTUS today?

WRWY

https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1131607588683112449?s=21

Notable: US ARMY Twat - D-Day

U.S. Army Tweets:

D-Day

https://twitter.com/USArmy/status/1131773063224102912

Notable: >>6575896, >>6576059 Dig on DECLAS cirumvent DNI

anons, I'm doing a dig on this Q Post.

>>6574269 (several breads ago)

Starting here.

https://www.archives.gov/isoo/policy-documents/cnsi-eo.html#three

Notable: >>6575495 A second look at Q's movie posters

Couple interesting things to note about Q's pic in last drop:

- 5 movies posted. 2nd and 4th ranked marked 2018 and 2020, respectfully. 3rd (middle) rank falls between both- like a pivot > pivotal shift in 2019 (?) defense > offense (?)

- A movie post of The Interview–subject matter NK and KJU–appears tossed on the floor. Front and center in 2019 (?)

- Anon keeps looking at this woman's hands… speculation: focus on finger/digit count(s) or perhaps alignments on the clock.

Notable: FB Trying To Reduce Political Advertising Sales Ahead Of 2020 Elections

Facebook Is Trying To Reduce Political Advertising Sales Ahead Of 2020 Elections

As the 2020 election approaches, Facebook says that it has stopped paying employees commissions for the sale of political ads on the social media platform. Facebook now considers political advertisements on its platform a substantial liability in the context of the 2016 presidential election, according to former Facebook employees and digital campaign strategists, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The alleged Russian meddling in the U.S’s 2016 election has raised concerns about the role of political ads on the platform, leading to discussion among Facebook senior staff as to whether to nix political advertisements altogether, according to more former employees. A March 2018 Facebook Newsroom release acknowledges that an all-inclusive ban on political Facebook advertisements may be the only way to ensure that there is no foreign interference in elections.

Mark Zuckerberg decided that the company will continue selling political ads on Facebook, but incentives for selling them will no longer continue, a former employee source told the WSJ. Employees who previously earned commissions through the selling of political ad space will now have their base salaries raised instead, Katie Harbath, Facebook’s global elections public policy director, said. Harbath explains that the company now views political campaign ads as a civic responsibility rather than a profit-driving opportunity. Political advertisements make up a relatively small proportion of Facebook’s total revenue, constituting $55 billion of Facebook’s revenue in 2018, according to the WSJ. All users will have the same level of access and support concerning political ads, and the new compensation policy will affect ads from national to local campaign levels, attempting to avoid the accusation that Facebook is favoring particular political factions and not others, Harbath explains. “It doesn’t matter if you’re running for president or running for city council. You have access to the same tools and level of support,” Harbath said.

Some presidential campaigns have noticed a difference in services rendered by Facebook staffers amid the implementation of the new policy, while others still work with Facebook employees beyond the scope of what is available to normal customers, digital campaign staffers allege according to the WSJ.

In 2016, both Facebook and Google offered substantial advertising services to the Trump and Clinton campaigns that surpassed what was available to smaller campaigns. The Trump campaign especially capitalized on these services given its smaller and less experienced digital campaigning staff. Facebook’s shift in compensation policy has had noticeable benefits for smaller campaigns, making help more available than it has been recently for these small, low spending customers, according to Patrick O’Keefe, executive director of the Maryland Republican Party.

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/23/facebook-political-advertising-2020-election/

Notable: Schiff Calls Barr Investigation Into Origins Of Russia Probe ‘Un-American’

Schiff Calls Barr Investigation Into Origins Of Russia Probe ‘Un-American’

California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff called Attorney General William Barr’s investigation into the origins of the Russia probe “un-American” in a Thursday night tweet. “While Trump stonewalls the public from learning the truth about his obstruction of justice, Trump and Barr conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies,” Schiff wrote. “The coverup has entered a new and dangerous phase. This is un-American.”

President Donald Trump on Thursday directed the heads of the CIA, FBI, State Department and other agencies to cooperate with Barr as he investigates the origins of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. The president also released a memo authorizing the attorney general to “declassify, downgrade, or direct the declassification or downgrading of information or intelligence” regarding the investigation into whether or not the Trump campaign was surveilled unlawfully.

A Hill/Harris-X survey conducted last week showed 62% of registered voters agreed with Barr’s decision to investigate the probe’s origins. Meanwhile, several were quick to criticize Schiff out on Twitter.

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/23/schiff-barr-investigation-russia-probe-un-american/

Notable: >>6574969 Svetlana Lokhova Suing Halper, Wall Street Journal, NYT, NBC, Washington Post

WOW -

Svetlana Lokhova Suing Halper, Wall Street Journal, NYT, NBC, Washington Post

May 23, 2019

https://twitter.com/ProfMJCleveland/status/1131766357538856961

Notable: >>6575362 Possible whistleblower, anons DIGG!!

Q, glad you are back and active again

My dad will probably only live a few more months… talk to him yet?

He was blocked from promotion to Colonel because he found things and didn't 'go along'

He's about to take a major crypto secret to the grave

Only a few people EVER had simultaneous clearance across all of these agencies:

NSA, CIA, DIA, NRO, NIMA, DOE, DOJ, FBI, the Treasury, the White House, and others

Notable: Pres. and CEO of Las Vegas Investment Co. Sentenced to 50 years for Running $1.5bil Ponzi Scheme

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/president-and-ceo-las-vegas-investment-company-sentenced-50-years-prison-running-15-billion

Notable: Paul Sperry: NSA missing from POTUS memo directing cooperation with Barr

https://www.lawfareblog.com/presidential-memorandum-barr-review

https://twitter.com/paulsperry_/status/1131773100222296064?s=21

Notable: Gorka: "Watch in the next two days the rats, the hyenas start to eat each other"

"I knew this day would come."

Say what you will about his Q-denial and him being Fake MAGA,

Gorka says, "Watch in the next two days the rats, the hyenas start to eat each other.

The Fun and Games have begun.

Sebastian Gorka DrG

@SebGorka

It has begun

@realDonaldTrump has unleashed his secret weapon.

In the next few days the conspirators will begin to tear at each other.

Stayed tuned friends:

http://SebGorka.com

https://twitter.com/SebGorka/status/1131769310588932096

Notable: Former FEC Chair: First Amendment Responsible For More ‘Violent Hate Crimes’ Than Terrorism

Former FEC Chair: First Amendment Responsible For More ‘Violent Hate Crimes’ Than Terrorism

A “libertarian interpretation” of the First Amendment is responsible for more “violent hate crime” in the United States than terrorism, a former Federal Election Commission chair claimed Thursday. “The libertarian interpretation of the 1st Amendment has permitted a huge spike in violent hate crimes in the US – many more than foreign attacks,” former FEC Chair Ann Ravel wrote on Twitter.

Ravel linked to a story noting a statistic from the left-leaning Anti-Defamation League, which found that 78% of the 50 U.S. murders related to extremism in 2018 were carried out by white supremacists. The story also noted the FBI has approximately 5,000 open terrorism investigations around the world, of which 850 are in the U.S. Ravel, who is running as a Democrat for a seat in the California Senate, did not say how she would modify free-speech rights to address the issue, though her record provides some indication. During her 2013-17 tenure as a commissioner on the FEC, Ravel sought to limit the kind of political content users could place on websites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Critics said the efforts were aimed at stifling conservative websites, especially the Drudge Report, which Ravel faulted for death threats she received online.

Before joining the FEC, Ravel chaired the California Fair Political Practices Commission, where she led an effort to crack down on bloggers who advocated for or against political candidates. More recently, Democrats have railed against online speech for allegedly encouraging the perpetrators of mass shootings, though Ravel made no mention of a March mosque attack that killed 49 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The perpetrator in that case streamed the first 17 minutes of his attack on Facebook Live; it was subsequently posted to several other sites. Telecom companies in New Zealand blocked customers from accessing many of those smaller websites after the attack, but never extended the ban to Facebook.

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/23/takala-first-amendment-terrorism/

Notable: >>6574843, >>6575355 Dan Coats & Dina Haspel

>>6574269 (LB)

>>6574759 (LB)

Why Trump Is Going After Dan Coats, Not Gina Haspel

Notable: Was Samantha Power a Soros loyalist?

Samantha Power was a Soros loyalist? Very interesting…

https://twitter.com/FKTVis/status/1131762445612138496

Notable: DJT tweet & Q 35: "IT IS TIME"

>>6574784

open

it is time

Notable: Marines STONEWALL (@Snowden connection)

Marines STONE WALL

@SNOWDEN connection

https://twitter.com/11thmeu/status/1117140460152283136?s=19

Notable: Employees Of 'Sexting-Central' Snapchat Spied On Users

Employees Of 'Sexting-Central' Snapchat Spied On Users

Employees at social media giant Snap have been abusing internal tools for accessing user data in order to spy on Snapchat users, according to an investigative report by Motherboard, which interviewed multiple current and former employees and viewed internal Snap communications.

"employees have used data access processes for illegitimate reasons to spy on users, according to two former employees." -Motherboard

Snapchat, which boasts over 186 million users, is a mobile app for Android and iOS devices which allows people to send 'self-destructing' photos or videos to another person. The 'snap' can be set to expire within a few seconds of the receiver opening it, or the sender can elect not to delete it at all.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-23/employees-sexting-central-snapchat-spied-users

Notable: SEAL admiral who commanded bin Laden raid says no one should be pardoned for war crimes

SEAL admiral who commanded bin Laden raid says no one should be pardoned for war crimes

Retired Adm. William McRaven said Thursday that anyone convicted of a war crime should not receive a pardon from President Trump. “We are a nation of laws. And one of the laws that the military always follows is the law of armed conflict. So if someone has been found guilty of violating the law of armed conflict and committing a war crime, I think it is a very, very slippery slope if we start pardoning individuals like that,” McRaven said in an appearance on CNN. The former SEAL commander's comments follow reports that Trump plans to pardon multiple military members charged or convicted of war crimes.

McRaven, who oversaw the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011, has not ruled out a potential run for president. "Yeah, there was. I guess you never say never. But the fact of the matter is, I absolutely have no plans to run for president," he said. McRaven added that if “somebody is interested in my support in a policy world” he might reconsider his plans.

Trump attacked the admiral in November for being a Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton "backer." He also said McRaven was slow in getting bin Laden. “Wouldn’t it have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner than that, wouldn’t it have been nice?” Trump said.

Retired Gen. Martin Dempsey also attacked Trump’s plans to pardon war criminals. “Absent evidence of innocence or injustice the wholesale pardon of US servicemembers accused of war crimes signals our troops and allies that we don’t take the Law of Armed Conflict seriously. Bad message. Bad precedent. Abdication of moral responsibility. Risk to us,” Dempsey said Tuesday.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/seal-admiral-who-commanded-bin-laden-raid-says-no-one-should-be-pardoned-for-war-crimes

Notable: Trump Seeks to Hand Border Wall Construction to North Dakota Firm

Trump Seeks to Hand Border Wall Construction to North Dakota Firm

Under normal circumstances, the construction project should be awarded through a contest to the company with the best offer, but Trump appears eager to cut through bureaucracy to get the job done.

US President Trump wants to build that wall — and it should be cheap and fast. And it appears like he already found the perfect men for the job: a North Dakota construction company called Fisher Industries.

Normally, the process should go through a tender with several bidders. However, Trump seems to be willing to change the rules and offer the contract to Fisher directly, believing the company can do the job faster and cheaper than competitors, according to a Washington Post report.

"The President is one of the country's most successful builders and knows better than anyone how to negotiate the best deals," White House Press secretary Sarah Sanders said. "He wants to make sure we get the job done under budget and ahead of schedule."

The company claims it has a patent-pending construction method that would make wall construction much faster and cheaper than its competitor, Washington Post report says.

The mysterious method has been tested by Senator Kevin Cramer, who visited the company's HQ in North Dakota during his 2018 Senate campaign. Back at the time, Cramer posted a photo of himself driving an excavator.

"Here at Fisher Industries in Dickinson ND, I tested just how easy it is to install a panel of wall myself," Cramer wrote on Twitter.

Speaking about Trump's involvement in the Border Wall construction project, Cramer praised the president for his organizational skills.

"Good for him. It's why he is the president of the United States. He knows a thing or two about building big projects," Cramer said. "This is why he's president."

According to Cramer, Trump was elected to "cut through Washington's entrenched bureaucracy."

Fisher is also being promoted by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior advisor to the President. Being deeply involved in the wall construction project, Kushner personally investigated why the US Army Corps of Engineers sought to favour other companies over Fisher. According to the Washington Post, initially, Fisher was rejected because its proposed wall project was of inferior quality.

After some pressure from the White House, then-DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen demanded the company make changes in their project proposal so that they could bid for the contract.

https://sputniknews.com/us/201905241075288216-trump-border-wall-firm/

Notable: "Former Rep. Tom Coleman (R-Mo.) has penned an op-ed calling for President Trump to be impeached

Desperate D-party is burning all their undercover moles/collaborators. Amash and Coleman, thanks for showing us who your paymasters and controllers are.

"Former GOP lawmaker pens op-ed calling for Trump to be impeached "

"Former Rep. Tom Coleman (R-Mo.) has penned an op-ed calling for President Trump to be impeached.

Coleman's Thursday op-ed in the Kansas City Star comes as calls for impeachment heat up from both Democratic lawmakers and at least one Republican, with Coleman amplifying Rep. Justin Amash's (R-Mich) comments from over the weekend."

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/445351-former-gop-lawmaker-pens-op-ed-calling-for-trump-to-be-impeached

Notable: >>6574966 DJK tweet: "Intelligence Agencies were used against an American president."

DJT

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1131769241651302401

Notable: Japan remains world's biggest creditor at end of 2018

Japan remains world's biggest creditor at end of 2018

TOKYO (Kyodo) – The net balance of external assets held by the Japanese government, companies and individual investors stood at 341.56 trillion yen ($3.11 trillion) at the end of 2018, remaining the world's largest for the 28th consecutive year, the Finance Ministry said Friday.

The figure, up 3.7 percent from a year earlier and the second-largest amount on record, reflected increased overseas investment by Japanese companies, according to the ministry.

In the reporting year, Germany was second with 260.28 trillion yen, followed by China's 236.08 trillion yen.

Among components, direct investment in the United States stood at a record-high 55.63 trillion yen and that in China was also the largest on record at 13.66 trillion yen.

Japan's overseas assets edged up 0.5 percent to 1,018.38 trillion yen, up for the 10th straight year, supported by mergers and acquisitions by Japanese firms and investment by institutional investors in foreign stocks and bonds.

Overseas liabilities fell 1.1 percent to 676.48 trillion yen, down for the first time in nine years, in line with a drop in prices of Japanese stocks held by foreign investors.

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190524/p2g/00m/0bu/041000c

Notable: >>6574854, >>6575018, >>6575426 Q Proof: May 23 – "Now comes the pain 23"

>>6574854

YEP

Notable: DJT tweet on Twitter shutting down Conservative Voices

DJT

IT IS TIME!

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1131764098289602560

Notable: AG William Barr given power to declassify documents on surveillance activities into Trump campaign

AG William Barr given power to declassify documents on surveillance activities into Trump campaign

President Trump has given Attorney General William Barr "full and complete authority to declassify information" related to the origins of the federal investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. The move is the strongest sign yet that Trump is taking serious action to "investigate the investigators" and has found a willing champion in Barr, who rankled Democrats last month when he said "spying did occur" on the Trump campaign. The White House issued a memorandum to the heads of several agencies Thursday instructing them to cooperate with Barr's inquiry, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Department, the State Department, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Treasury Department, the Homeland Security Department, and the Energy Department.

"Today, at the request and recommendation of the Attorney General of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the Attorney General’s investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 Presidential election," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. "The Attorney General has also been delegated full and complete authority to declassify information pertaining to this investigation, in accordance with the long-established standards for handling classified information," she added. "Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions." The inquiry could provide clarity to questions GOP investigators have been eager to answer for more than a year, including whether the FBI's counterintelligence investigation began earlier than July 2016; the scope of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation; the full extent of the FBI's use of British ex-spy Christopher Steele's unverified dossier containing salacious claims about Trump's ties to Russia by various agencies; what role, if any, foreign intelligence agencies played; who pushed for the dossier to be included in the intelligence community assessment on Russian election interference; the full extent of the use of spies or confidential informants against the Trump campaign; and matters related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

While much of this information may one day be released to the public, the memorandum from the White House suggests some of it will remain concealed in accordance with established policy on handling classified national security information. "With respect to any matter classified under Executive Order 13526 of December 29, 2009 (Classified National Security Information), the Attorney General may, by applying the standard set forth in either section 3.1(a) or section 3.1(d) of Executive Order 13526, declassify, downgrade, or direct the declassification or downgrading of information or intelligence that relates to the Attorney General's review referred to in section 1 of this memorandum," the memo said. "Before exercising this authority, the Attorney General should, to the extent he deems it practicable, consult with the head of the originating intelligence community element or department. This authority is not delegable and applies notwithstanding any other authorization or limitation set forth in Executive Order 13526."

Trump's decision was panned by David Laufman, who was chief of the Justice Department's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section when the Trump-Russia investigation was launched. In a statement to MSNBC he called it "a grotesque abuse of the intelligence community to further his goal of political retribution, made worse by the spectacle of the Justice Department as his handmaiden." House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., called the move part of a "plot to dirty up the intelligence community, to pretend that there's something wrong with the beginning of the Mueller investigation and to persecute and bring into line the intelligence agencies." House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., called the move part of a "plot to dirty up the intelligence community, to pretend that there's something wrong with the beginning of the Mueller investigation and to persecute and bring into line the intelligence agencies."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ag-william-barr-given-power-to-declassify-documents-on-surveillance-activities-into-trump-campaign

Notable: >>6574323 Sara Carter Reveals “EXPLOSIVE” Unmasking Revelations About to Break on Samantha Power

>>6574254

Sara Carter Reveals “EXPLOSIVE” Unmasking Revelations About to Break on Samantha Power

Power was accused of unmasking innocent Americans in the final months of the Obama administration.

The former UN ambassador unmasked 300 individuals, an unheard number, in her last year in office.

On Thursday night investigative journalist Sara Carter said we will find out something soon on Samantha Power and the people she unmasked and it will be shocking.

The coming days are going to be lit.

Notable: Planefag report

Interesting. District of Columbia Air National Guard C-40C flying to Europe. UK bound? The C-40C is a passenger plane, not cargo. Hmm. Will have to see if it can be tracked to its destination.

Notable: Official White House transcript of Trump's answer to 'reporters' TREASON Question

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 23, 2019

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP

ON SUPPORTING AMERICA’S FARMERS AND RANCHERS

Official White House transcript of Trump's answer to 'reporters' TREASON Question

Q Sir, the Constitution says treason is punishable by death. You’ve accused your adversaries of treason. Who specifically are you accusing of treason?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think a number of people. And I think what you look is that they have unsuccessfully tried to take down the wrong person.

Q Who are you speaking of?

THE PRESIDENT: If you look at Comey; if you look at McCabe; if you look at probably people – people higher than that; if you look at Strzok; if you look at his lover, Lisa Page, his wonderful lover – the two lovers, they talked openly. You know, they didn’t use their private server because they didn’t want to get caught, so they used the government server. That was not a good move. He talked about the insurance policy, just in case Crooked Hillary loses. And that didn’t work out too well for them.

So you look at them – they wanted an insurance policy so that should she, for any reason, lose – remember? One hundred million-to-one. Maybe, he said 100 million to nothing. But should she lose, we’ll have an insurance policy, and we’ll get this guy out of office.

And that’s what they said, and that’s what they meant. That’s treason. That’s treason. They couldn’t win the election, and that’s what happened.

And that’s what’s happening right now because – without the “treason” word, I guess – but that’s what’s happening now. They don’t feel they can win the election, so they’re trying to do the thousand stabs. Keep stabbing. Let’s have a financial. Let’s have…

And if you look, for $40 million, I would think, seriously, that Bob Mueller and his group of 18 killers have gone over my taxes, they’ve gone over my financial statements to a level that nobody has gone over them before. And they were not discussed, even. They weren’t ever discussed or brought up. I have great statements.

https://publicpool.kinja.com/subject-remarks-by-president-trump-on-supporting-ameri-1834993867

Notable: >>6574169 Anon on movie poster for "The Interview" that threatens NK

>>6574111

Don't know about LL, but I had not noticed the poster on the ground until now.

>The Interview

Notable: Anon on roles of Laura & Valerie Jarrett

Do you ever notice….

that whenever CNN has to write an article on the deep state- that LAURA JARRETT is always at least a co-author?

In case you don't know who Laura Jarrett is :

https://www.earnthenecklace.com/laura-jarrett-wiki/

Make no mistake - during the 8 years Hussein was president - Valerie Jarrett was the one actually running the executive branch.

Stay strong patriots

#hangthemall

Notable: Charges against JA classified?

17=Q

https://www.rt.com/news/460117-us-charges-julian-assange-classified/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=push_notifications&utm_campaign=push_notifications

Notable: SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket With 60 Satellites Lifts Off From Cape Canaveral

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket With 60 Satellites Lifts Off From Cape Canaveral

A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket carrying the first 60 satellites in SpaceX's Starlink internet constellation lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at about 10:30 p.m. local time.

https://sputniknews.com/us/201905241075287687-spacex-falcon-9-cape-canaveral/

What do you think they are really deploying?

Notable: Weinstein, Accusers and Former Board Members Reach Tentative Compensation Deal

Weinstein, Accusers and Former Board Members Reach Tentative Compensation Deal

The $44 million agreement would pay alleged victims, creditors and legal fees

——————

@WSJ

Harvey Weinstein has reached a tentative $44 million civil settlement with the women who accused him of sexual misconduct

—————–

https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1131709703514468352

https://www.wsj.com/articles/harvey-weinstein-accusers-and-former-board-members-reach-tentative-compensation-deal-11558655485?mod=e2tw

Notable: Wikileaks responds the Espionage Act indictment against Assange

https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/1131723191100039168

Notable: Lisa Mei Tweet: Big Web of Players

I missed the significance of the Dept of Energy at first, after Sara pointed out that it is important to note which depts received the memo, the light went on.

DOE = Nuke = U1.

U1 is going to be very significant in the days to come.

https://twitter.com/LisaMei62/status/1131739677185236992

Notable: Seth Rich and Julian Assange, this June?

>>6573376

Seth Rich and Julian Assange coming to you this June.

Right?

Notable: The Pentagon Creates Tech Giants and Then Buys their Services

Vicious Cycle: The Pentagon Creates Tech Giants and Then Buys their Services

The US Department of Defense’s bloated budget, along with CIA venture capital, helped to create tech giants, including Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and PayPal. The government then contracts those companies to help its military and intelligence operations. In doing so, it makes the tech giants even bigger.

In recent years, the traditional banking, energy and industrial Fortune 500 companies have been losing ground to tech giants like Apple and Facebook. But the technology on which they rely emerged from the taxpayer-funded research and development of bygone decades. The internet started as ARPANET, an invention of Honeywell-Raytheon working under a Department of Defense (DoD) contract. The same satellites that enable modern internet communications also enable US jets to bomb their enemies, as does the GPS that enables online retailers to deliver products with pinpoint accuracy. Apple’s touchscreen technology originated as a US Air Force tool. The same drones that record breath-taking video are modified versions of Reapers and Predators.

Tax-funded DoD research is the backbone of the modern, hi-tech economy. But these technologies are dual-use. The companies that many of us take for granted–including Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and PayPal–are connected indirectly and sometimes very directly to the US military-intelligence complex.

A recent report by Open the Government, a bipartisan advocate of transparency, reveals the extent of Amazon’s contracts with the Pentagon. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, the company is now valued at $1 trillion, giving Bezos a personal fortune of $131 billion. Open the Government’s report notes that much of the US government “now runs on Amazon,” so much so that the tech giant is opening a branch near Washington, DC. Services provided by Amazon include cloud contracts, machine learning and biometric data systems. But more than this, Amazon is set to enjoy a lucrative Pentagon IT contract under the $10bn, Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure program, or JEDI. The Pentagon says that it hopes Amazon technology will “support lethality and enhanced operational efficiency.”

The report reveals what it can, but much is protected from public scrutiny under the twin veils of national security and corporate secrecy. For instance, all prospective host cities for Amazon’s second headquarters were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/05/22/vicious-cycle-the-pentagon-creates-tech-giants-and-then-buys-their-services/

Notable: Speaker Pelosi Backs Down on Impeachment Talk After President Trump Rips Into Her

Speaker Pelosi Backs Down on Impeachment Talk After President Trump Rips Into Her

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been beating the impeachment drum lately because she is being pressured by members of her Democrat House caucus to remove President Trump from office.

Just hours after her dust-up with President Trump at the White House Wednesday morning, Pelosi told a liberal conference in DC that Trump may have committed an “impeachable offense” by “obstructing justice” and engaging in a “cover-up.”

Pelosi, who previously shied away from impeachment talk, stoked the flames this week with her inflammatory rhetoric.

“As they say, the cover-up is frequently worse than the crime,” Pelosi said citing one of the impeachment articles against President Nixon.

But by Thursday evening, Pelosi backed down from impeachment — “We’re not at that place,” Pelosi said Thursday after President Trump ripped into her.

Pelosi closed the House and sent home lawmakers Thursday evening for a 10-day Memorial Day recess and quelled calls to remove Trump from the White House.

Politico reported that Democrat lawmakers were handed a one-page messaging paper that urged lawmakers to talk up the party’s work on health care, infrastructure and weeding out corruption — the Democrat talking points left out calls for impeachment.

President Trump ripped into Nancy Pelosi and the “do nothing Congress” Thursday during a presser.

Trump on Pelosi, “She’s a mess… Let’s face it… It’s a do nothing congress… She’s lost it.”

It looks like Pelosi has backed off impeachment talks…for now.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/speaker-pelosi-backs-down-on-impeachment-talk-after-president-trump-rips-into-her/

Guilt pouring out of her

Notable: Mississippi Floodway May Be Opened, Unleashing 17 Million Liters Of Water Per Second

Mississippi Floodway May Be Opened, Unleashing 17 Million Liters Of Water Per Second

One of the major barriers that keeps the Mississippi River on its course could be opened for only the third time in its history. The opening would be the result of rising river levels and could also flood parts of Louisiana, which would affect businesses in the region, according to Bloomberg.

The Army Corps of Engineers may be forced to open the Morganza Floodway, a lengthy dam-like barrier that redirects 600,000 cubic feet, or 17 million liters of water, per second to take pressure off the Mississippi. The river has been at high levels since last October as a result of massive rainfalls that have also had a negative effect on crops in the region.

The floodway is about 45 miles northwest of Baton Rouge and, when opened, sends water into the "rural area between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi Rivers in central Louisiana."

The area along the river between New Orleans and Baton Rogue is littered with refineries, chemical plants and grain elevators. High water on the river has already caused delays for shipments of raw materials in and out of these businesses and, due to the high levels, traffic through Vicksburg was shut down earlier this year already.

Exacerbating things further is the fact that meteorologists are calling for a new deluge into the river as a result of thunderstorms across the Great Plains and the Midwest this week. A large amount of this water will flow into the Mississippi, coupled with water from the Arkansas river.

Jeff Graschel, service coordination hydrologist with the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center said: "We are really close to the trigger levels." Speaking to Bloomberg, he added that while the Mississippi could dip lower in the next few days, forecasters are expecting a new deluge caused by a week’s worth of thunderstorms across the Great Plains and Midwest to send the river rising again by the end of next week.

John Bel Edwards, the state's governor will be holding a press conference to explain the action he will take.

The floods occurring now are not as severe as they were in 2011, which was the last time the floodway was forced open. River levels are about 2 feet lower than they were during 2011.

The Bonnet Carre Spillway, about 28 miles downstream, was opened in February to help prevent flood risk in New Orleans.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-23/close-trigger-levels-mississippi-floodway-may-be-opened-unleashing-17-million

Notable: Schiff Twatting from fear

>>6572785

please make sure this guy gets legal fair proper justice

Notable: CNN pounding the "Distraction" canard

>>6572842

Time to do a little rattling of our own.

Notable: Refresher on new NSA 702 policy

>>6572005 /lb Q

refresher on new NSA 702 policy

https://www.nsa.gov/news-features/press-room/Article/1618777/nsa-stops-certain-foreign-intelligence-collection-activities-under-section-702/

Notable: Jarrett Twat: Someone is scared

Jarrett just so scccccaaarareeed.

https://twitter.com/ValerieJarrett/status/1131670955342868498

Notable: >>6572690 Reminder: Seth Rich (inferring 187 related)

>>6572667

Notable: Cruz was target #2 from Q post

>>6572005

CRUZ was Target #2

Notable: Ronna tweet: "Joe Biden’s fingerprints are all over the opioid crisis"

Joe Biden’s fingerprints are all over the opioid crisis that is ravaging our communities. There's still more work to do, but @realDonaldTrump has secured billions of dollars to combat this public health emergency.

https://twitter.com/GOPChairwoman

Notable: Giuliani Twat: "Get Ready for the Declas Docs"

its habbening

Notable: Side by side on the "Bucket 5" documents that will be DECLASSIFIED

>>6571632

Side by side on the "Bucket 5" documents that will be DECLASSIFIED

Updated Graphic, please use this if you can baker, thanks!

This is the original list as outlined in September 2018, and the agencies who would be involved in the declassification process:

All versions of the Carter Page FISA applications (DOJ) (DoS) (FBI) (ODNI).

All of the Bruce Ohr 302’s filled out by the FBI. (FBI) (ODNI)

All of Bruce Ohr’s emails (FBI) (DOJ) (CIA) (ODNI), and supportive documents and material provided by Bruce Ohr to the FBI. (FBI)

All relevant documents pertaining to the supportive material within the FISA application. (FBI) (DOJ-NSD ) (DoS) (CIA) (DNI) (NSA) (ODNI);

All intelligence documents that were presented to the Gang of Eight in 2016 that pertain to the FISA application used against U.S. person Carter Page; including all exculpatory intelligence documents that may not have been presented to the FISA Court. (CIA) (FBI) (DOJ) (ODNI) (DoS) (NSA)

All unredacted text messages and email content between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok on all devices. (FBI) (DOJ) (DOJ-NSD) (ODNI)

The originating CIA “EC” or two-page electronic communication from former CIA Director John Brennan to FBI Director James Comey that started Operation Crossfire Hurricane in July 2016. (CIA) (FBI) (ODNI)

President Trump can prove the July 31st, 2016, Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence operation originated from a scheme within the intelligence apparatus by exposing the preceding CIA operation that created the originating “Electronic Communication” memo. Declassify that two-page “EC” document that Brennan gave to Comey. [The trail is found within the Weissmann report and the use of Alexander Downer]

Release and declassify all of the Comey memos that document the investigative steps taken by the FBI as an outcome of the operation coordinated by CIA Director John Brennan in early 2016. [The trail was memorialized by James Comey ]

Reveal the November 2015 through April 2016 FISA-702 search query abuse by declassifying the April 2017 court opinion written by FISC Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer. Show the FBI contractors behind the 85% fraudulent search queries. [Crowdstrike? Fusion-GPS? Nellie Ohr? Daniel Richman?] This was a weaponized surveillance and domestic political spying operation. [The trail was laid down in specific detail by Judge Collyer ]

Subpoena former DOJ-NSD (National Security Division) head John Carlin, or haul him in front of a grand jury, and get his testimony about why he hid the abuse from the FISA court in October 2016; why the DOJ-NSD rushed the Carter Page application to beat NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers to the FISA court; and why Carlin quit immediately thereafter.

Prove the Carter Page FISA application (October 2016) was fraudulent and based on deceptions to the FISA Court. Declassify the entire document, and release the transcripts of those who signed the application(s); and/or depose those who have not yet testified. The creation of the Steele Dossier was the cover-up operation. [SEE HERE]

Release all of the Lisa Page and Peter Strzok text messages without redactions. Let sunlight pour in on the actual conversation(s) that were taking place when Crossfire Hurricane (July ’16) and the FISA Application (Oct ’16) were taking place. The current redactions were made by the people who weaponized the intelligence system for political surveillance and spy operation. This is why Page and Strzok texts are redacted!

Release all of Bruce Ohr 302’s, FBI notes from interviews and debriefing sessions, and other relevant documents associated with the interviews of Bruce Ohr and his internal communications. Including exculpatory evidence that Bruce Ohr may have shared with FBI Agent Joseph Pientka. [And get a deposition from this Pientka fella] Bruce Ohr is the courier, carrying information from those outside to those on the inside.

Release the August 2nd, 2017, two-page scope memo provided by DAG Rod Rosenstein to special counsel Robert Mueller to advance the fraudulent Trump investigation, and initiate the more purposeful obstruction of justice investigation. Also Release the October 20th, 2017, second scope memo recently discovered. The Scope Memos are keys to unlocking the underlying spy/surveillance cover-up.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-22/no-wonder-obama-intel-chiefs-panicking-trumps-about-declassify-bucket-5-russiagate

Trump Orders FBI, CIA To "Fully Cooperate" With Barr; Grants "Full And Complete Authority To Declassify"

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-23/trump-orders-fbi-cia-fully-cooperate-barr-authorizes-full-and-complete-authority

Notable: DJT Tweet: "71% of Voters rate the Economy as Excellent or Good…"

New DJT

Notable: Memorandum on Agency Cooperation with Attorney General's Review of Intelligence Activities Relating to the 2016 Presidential Campaigns

https://publicpool.kinja.com/subject-memorandum-on-agency-cooperation-with-attorney-1834993466

Memorandum on Agency Cooperation with Attorney General's Review of Intelligence Activities Relating to the 2016 Presidential Campaigns

Notable: Side by side on the "Bucket 5" documents that will be DECLASSIFIED

>>6571343

>>6571371

Side by side on the "Bucket 5" documents that will be DECLASSIFIED

No Wonder Obama Intel Chiefs Panicking - Trump To Declassify "Bucket 5" Russiagate Docs

This is the original list as outlined in September 2018, and the agencies who would be involved in the declassification process:

All versions of the Carter Page FISA applications (DOJ) (DoS) (FBI) (ODNI).

All of the Bruce Ohr 302’s filled out by the FBI. (FBI) (ODNI)

All of Bruce Ohr’s emails (FBI) (DOJ) (CIA) (ODNI), and supportive documents and material provided by Bruce Ohr to the FBI. (FBI)

All relevant documents pertaining to the supportive material within the FISA application. (FBI) (DOJ-NSD ) (DoS) (CIA) (DNI) (NSA) (ODNI);

All intelligence documents that were presented to the Gang of Eight in 2016 that pertain to the FISA application used against U.S. person Carter Page; including all exculpatory intelligence documents that may not have been presented to the FISA Court. (CIA) (FBI) (DOJ) (ODNI) (DoS) (NSA)

All unredacted text messages and email content between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok on all devices. (FBI) (DOJ) (DOJ-NSD) (ODNI)

The originating CIA “EC” or two-page electronic communication from former CIA Director John Brennan to FBI Director James Comey that started Operation Crossfire Hurricane in July 2016. (CIA) (FBI) (ODNI)

President Trump can prove the July 31st, 2016, Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence operation originated from a scheme within the intelligence apparatus by exposing the preceding CIA operation that created the originating “Electronic Communication” memo. Declassify that two-page “EC” document that Brennan gave to Comey. [The trail is found within the Weissmann report and the use of Alexander Downer]

Release and declassify all of the Comey memos that document the investigative steps taken by the FBI as an outcome of the operation coordinated by CIA Director John Brennan in early 2016. [The trail was memorialized by James Comey ]

Reveal the November 2015 through April 2016 FISA-702 search query abuse by declassifying the April 2017 court opinion written by FISC Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer. Show the FBI contractors behind the 85% fraudulent search queries. [Crowdstrike? Fusion-GPS? Nellie Ohr? Daniel Richman?] This was a weaponized surveillance and domestic political spying operation. [The trail was laid down in specific detail by Judge Collyer ]

Subpoena former DOJ-NSD (National Security Division) head John Carlin, or haul him in front of a grand jury, and get his testimony about why he hid the abuse from the FISA court in October 2016; why the DOJ-NSD rushed the Carter Page application to beat NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers to the FISA court; and why Carlin quit immediately thereafter.

Prove the Carter Page FISA application (October 2016) was fraudulent and based on deceptions to the FISA Court. Declassify the entire document, and release the transcripts of those who signed the application(s); and/or depose those who have not yet testified. The creation of the Steele Dossier was the cover-up operation. [SEE HERE]

Release all of the Lisa Page and Peter Strzok text messages without redactions. Let sunlight pour in on the actual conversation(s) that were taking place when Crossfire Hurricane (July ’16) and the FISA Application (Oct ’16) were taking place. The current redactions were made by the people who weaponized the intelligence system for political surveillance and spy operation. This is why Page and Strzok texts are redacted!

Release all of Bruce Ohr 302’s, FBI notes from interviews and debriefing sessions, and other relevant documents associated with the interviews of Bruce Ohr and his internal communications. Including exculpatory evidence that Bruce Ohr may have shared with FBI Agent Joseph Pientka. [And get a deposition from this Pientka fella] Bruce Ohr is the courier, carrying information from those outside to those on the inside.

Release the August 2nd, 2017, two-page scope memo provided by DAG Rod Rosenstein to special counsel Robert Mueller to advance the fraudulent Trump investigation, and initiate the more purposeful obstruction of justice investigation. Also Release the October 20th, 2017, second scope memo recently discovered. The Scope Memos are keys to unlocking the underlying spy/surveillance cover-up.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-22/no-wonder-obama-intel-chiefs-panicking-trumps-about-declassify-bucket-5-russiagate

Trump Orders FBI, CIA To "Fully Cooperate" With Barr; Grants "Full And Complete Authority To Declassify"

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-23/trump-orders-fbi-cia-fully-cooperate-barr-authorizes-full-and-complete-authority

>>6571450

mutha fukken saved

Notable: DJT Tweet: "PELOSI STAMMERS THROUGH NEWS CONFERENCE"

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1131728912835383300

Notable: JS reports on bucket five.

Bucket List

No-one really knows the extent of the current documents and/or information that may be subject to a Trump declassification request. However, this is the original list as outlined in September 2018, and the agencies who would be involved in the declassification process:

All versions of the Carter Page FISA applications (DOJ) (DoS) (FBI) (ODNI).

All of the Bruce Ohr 302’s filled out by the FBI. (FBI) (ODNI)

All of Bruce Ohr’s emails (FBI) (DOJ) (CIA) (ODNI), and supportive documents and material provided by Bruce Ohr to the FBI. (FBI)

All relevant documents pertaining to the supportive material within the FISA application. (FBI) (DOJ-NSD ) (DoS) (CIA) (DNI) (NSA) (ODNI);

All intelligence documents that were presented to the Gang of Eight in 2016 that pertain to the FISA application used against U.S. person Carter Page; including all exculpatory intelligence documents that may not have been presented to the FISA Court. (CIA) (FBI) (DOJ) (ODNI) (DoS) (NSA)

All unredacted text messages and email content between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok on all devices. (FBI) (DOJ) (DOJ-NSD) (ODNI)

The originating CIA “EC” or two-page electronic communication from former CIA Director John Brennan to FBI Director James Comey that started Operation Crossfire Hurricane in July 2016. (CIA) (FBI) (ODNI)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/05/21/john-solomon-reports-bucket-five-release-within-7-to-8-days/#more-164054

Notable: DJT re-Tweet: Congrats Ivanka…

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1131343258037174272

DJT retweet

https://twitter.com/AviBerkow/status/1131343258037174272

Notable: Info on first batch of declas.

https://twitter.com/paulsperry_/status/1131718460457803778

Notable: LV investment company CEO sentenced for ponzi scheme.

President And CEO Of Las Vegas Investment Company Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Running $1.5 Billion Ponzi Scheme

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/president-and-ceo-las-vegas-investment-company-sentenced-50-years-prison-running-15-billion

Notable: Former foreign minister among dead in Somalia suicide car bomb attack.

Former foreign minister among dead in Somalia suicide car bomb attack

https://www.independent.ie/world-news/former-foreign-minister-among-dead-in-somalia-suicide-car-bomb-attack-38140837.html

Notable: >>6570952 DJT Tweet: POTUS instructs IC to fully cooperate with Barr. Barr has full authority to declassify.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1131716322369392646

“Today, at the request and recommendation of the Attorney General of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the Attorney General’s investigation into surveillance activities….

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1131716323485073409

….during the 2016 Presidential election. The Attorney General has also been delegated full and complete authority to declassify information pertaining to this investigation, in accordance with the long-established standards for handling classified information….

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1131716324751826949

….Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions.” @PressSec

Notable: Bongino on Hannity tonight 9pm EST.

Dan Bongino

‏Verified account @dbongino

4m4 minutes ago

I’m filling in for Sean tonight on Fox in less than an hour. Don’t forget to tune in at 9p ET.

Notable: DJT Tweet: 19 Billion Dollar Disaster Relief Bill.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1131714257308012545

The U.S. Senate has just approved a 19 Billion Dollar Disaster Relief Bill, with my total approval. Great!

Notable: Journalists react to Assange Espionage Act charges.

'Modern fascism is breaking cover': Journalists react to Assange Espionage Act charges

The US government's indictment of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange on 17 additional charges under the Espionage Act has shocked and horrified journalists who are calling it an unprecedented attack on press freedom.

The new indictment claims Assange endangered the lives of individuals working for the US government when Wikileaks published leaked documents received from intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010. Under the draconian Espionage Act, which has never before been used against a journalist publishing classified information, Assange faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge.

"Assange was complicit with Chelsea Manning…in unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defense," the Department of Justice said in a statement, while National Security Division head John Demers insisted "Julian Assange is no journalist."

Actual journalists, however, were horrified by the "unprecedented assault on the First Amendment."

More

https://www.rt.com/news/460123-assange-espionage-act-charges-reactions/

Notable: Victoria Nuland and Jonathan Winer: nodes in the intelligence laundering operation?

https://themarketswork.com/2018/03/09/victoria-nuland-alexandra-chalupa-ukrainian-ties-the-steele-dossier/

>>6570633

Notable: Senate panel votes to let Gitmo prisoners into U.S. for medical treatment.

Senate Panel Votes to Let Gitmo Prisoners Into U.S. for Medical Treatment

https://www.govexec.com/management/2019/05/senate-panel-votes-let-gitmo-prisoners-us-medical-treatment/157238/

Notable: Sara Carter: ‘FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers’

‘FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers’ Coming To A Theater Near You

https://saraacarter.com/fbi-lovebirds-undercovers-coming-to-a-theater-near-you/

Notable: SF board gets raises as the city sinks into the sewers.

Needles, feces & drugs, oh my! SF Board of Supervisors rewarded with 12% raise

Imagine being so handsomely rewarded for turning your once beautiful city into a sh*thole. It pays well to be a public servant…

From SF Gate: San Francisco’s supervisors will be getting a 12% raise this year, more than three times the size of those being given to other elected officials and city employees.

The raise was approved by a 3-1 vote of the Civil Service Commission on Monday and represents a $15,016 pay hike, bringing the board members’ salaries to $140,148 this year — plus benefits.

“I felt the boost was appropriate to bring the pay more in line with the responsibilities of the job,” said Commission President F.X. Crowley, a former labor leader who ran for the board himself in 2012.

The supervisors’ pay hike, however, was far above the $5,005-a-year raise recommended by the Civil Service Commission staff.

The staff report, which surveyed cities and counties statewide, recommended they receive the same 4% raise this fiscal year as other city workers and elected officials — that would have given them about $125,000, plus benefits. Most city workers are getting 11% spread out over three years.

Instead, the commission voted to give the supervisors the 12% boost this year, with annual cost-of-living increases in succeeding years.

Under the City Charter, every five years the commission sets the salary for the supervisors and other elected officials.

Given that the annual cost-of-living increase has been running at about 3% a year, the supervisors could see a total pay raise of 24% or more over the next five years.

In a surprise move, Board of Supervisors clerk Angela Calvillo presented the commission with the salary survey she requested from a Board of Supervisors budget and legislative analyst.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/needles-feces-drugs-oh-my-sf-board-of-supervisors-rewarded-with-12-raise/

Notable: >>6570695 POTUS notes from yesterday's meeting.

>>6570574

>>6570600

Trump's notes from yesterdays meeting with the trainwreck Nancy Pelosi.

Notable: Chinese national charged with importing fentanyl analogues to US.

Chinese National Charged With Importing Fentanyl Analogues to US

A Chinese national who has held high-level executive positions in Chinese chemical and pharmaceutical companies was arrested and charged with importing more than 1,000 pounds of drugs, including fentanyl analogues, to the United States, the U.S. Justice Department said on May 22. Hao Qin, also known as “John Chin,” 32, was arrested after landing at the Los Angeles International Airport on May 21, and made an initial appearance in the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California the next day. He was charged with drug and money laundering offenses.

U.S. prosecutors allege that since at least 2012, Qin, along with several co-conspirators, used pharmaceutical and chemical companies in China to distribute more than 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) of synthetic drugs and analogues to the United States. The companies Qin worked for weren’t publicly identified by federal law enforcement. During the time of the alleged conspiracy, Qin held high-level executive positions in those companies, and worked with individuals, including another executive and an assistant, to carry out the scheme, according to court documents. Among the drugs imported through Qin’s chemical business were two potent analogues of the opioid drug fentanyl: furanyl fentanyl and 4-FIBF, the DOJ said.

According to court documents, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents received information about Qin’s activities from his former client in the United States, who started cooperating with the agency’s investigation in 2016. Prosecutors also charged Qin with laundering the proceeds of his international drug business. This included allegedly receiving wire payments from a former client who was paying off a drug debt of more than $500,000 owed to Qin. If found guilty, Qin faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million if convicted of conspiracy to import drug analogues, and up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $500,000 if convicted of money laundering.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese-national-charged-with-importing-fentanyl-analogues-to-us_2934556.html

Notable: DJT Tweet: We will never forget our fallen HEROES.

DJT

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1131705087762620418

https://twitter.com/ArlingtonNatl/status/1131638682027536386

Notable: Huawei executive accused of orchestrating US trade theft scheme.

Huawei Executive Accused of Orchestrating US Trade Theft Scheme

Eric Xu, a deputy chairman of Huawei, allegedly was directly involved in a conspiracy to steal trade secrets relating to solid-state drive (SSD) technology from a U.S. startup, according to newly released court documents from an ongoing lawsuit. It’s the latest development in tit-for-tat lawsuits involving San Jose, California-based startup CNEX Labs Inc. and the Chinese telecom giant, with each accusing the other of theft of trade secrets. CNEX has received investment funding from Microsoft and Dell Technologies.

In the latest court documents, CNEX alleges that a professor from China’s Xiamen University pretended to be a customer in order to acquire its technology and transfer the know-how to Huawei chip-development subsidiary HiSilicon. CNEX, citing information from Huawei staff, also claims that Xu was briefed about the whole scheme involving the university professor, and directed Huawei engineers to analyze CNEX’s data storage technology. In response to the allegations about Xu’s involvement, CNBC reported that a Huawei spokesman told reporters on May 23 that CNEX’s claims are “misleading and unsubstantiated.” The case will go to trial at a federal court in the Eastern District of Texas on June 3. To protect American technological know-how, the U.S. government has also reportedly slowed down hiring approvals for Chinese nationals selected to work for U.S. semiconductor companies.

Huawei Executive According to Huawei’s website, Xu, 52, has worked for Huawei for 26 years, in different positions ranging from chief strategy and marketing officer, to chief products and solutions officer. He is one of Huawei’s rotating chairmen. According to court documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, CNEX alleges that the Xiamen University professor, identified as Bo Mao, asked CNEX in June 2016 for some circuit boards as part of his academic research project. In 2017, CNEX provided a computer memory board to Mao after he signed a licensing agreement, which included a strict non-disclosure provision, with CNEX.

The U.S. company said Mao didn’t disclose that he had a cooperation agreement with Huawei to supply the technology to it. Without telling CNEX, Mao prepared a technological report about CNEX’s computer memory board and handed it to HiSilicon’s database containing intel on its competitors, known as the “D-box directory.” CNEX claimed that Mao was directed by Xu, the chief orchestrator of the scheme. At a pre-trial hearing, a Huawei lawyer confirmed that a CNEX document about SSD technology was submitted to its D-box directory, and that Xu “was in the chain of command that had requested” information about CNEX. But Huawei rejected the claim of IP theft. It said the document concerned products and open source technology, and that the cooperation between Huawei and Xiamen University was for developing database software.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/huawei-executive-accused-of-orchestrating-us-trade-theft-scheme_2934635.html

Notable: Iran building new crossing on Syria border that would let it smuggle weapons.

=NEWS=

Iran building new crossing on Syria border that would let it smuggle weapons, oil, experts say

https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-border-crossing-syria-smuggle-weapons-oil-experts

Notable: Ethiopian human rights abuser busted for immigration fraud.

Ethiopian Human Rights Abuser Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining U.S. Citizenship by Admitted Series of Lies in Naturalization Process, Including Failure to Disclose Participation in Persecution During The Red Terror Period in Ethiopia

https://twitter.com/TheJusticeDept/status/1131700471993962502

So they can lie and still get in.

Notable: Walmart Family selling.

Walmart Family sells $784.34m in shares-May 21-this is today's filing

Cap#1 is today, Cap#2 from May 17th and Cap#3 is a cumulative amount from May 2014 that reflect today's sale.

Wal-Mart Stores is the world's leading distribution group. Net sales break down by activity as follows:

- distribution in the United States and Porto Rico (76.2%): this activity is performed, at the end of January 2017, through the following names: Wal-Mart (84.3% of net sales; reduced-price retail distribution; 4,761 outlets, of which 3,561 supermarkets, 400 discount outlets, and 800 convenience stores), and Sam's Club (15.7%; 597 warehouses accessible to members only in the United States);

- international distribution (23.8%): 6,360 points of sales located in Mexico (2,358), Central America (778), the United Kingdom (642), Brazil (465), China (443), Africa (424), Canada (410), Chile (378), Japan (336), Argentina (106) and India (20).

Number of employees : 2 300 000 people.

https://www.marketscreener.com/WAL-MART-STORES-4841/company/

https://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/104169.htm

Notable: >>6570751 50 children saved as international pedo ring busted.

50 children saved as international pedo ring busted

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-48379983

Notable: Plane crash in Mckinney Texas.

A small plane has reportedly crashed into a home in McKinney, Texas.

At least two people were rushed to the hospital following the crash. Both of the injured were in the plane; no one was injured on the ground.

It is unclear what caused the plane to crash.

Source: Small Plane Crashes Into House In McKinney – CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

https://newsbreakinglive.com/2019/05/23/breaking-plane-crashes-into-home-in-mckinney-texas/

Notable: Ghosn's first full trial unlikely to convene until next spring, his lawyers say.

Ghosn's first full trial unlikely to convene until next spring, his lawyers say

A lawyer representing embattled former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn speculated Thursday that the first full trial in the case would probably not begin until next spring.

The attorney, Junichiro Hironaka, was uncertain how long the trial would last and also revealed Ghosn’s defense team would ask the court later in the day to grant a meeting with his wife, Carole Ghosn.

They are not allowed to see each other as part of the bail conditions set following the auto executive’s fourth arrest and indictment.

“We are thinking of proposing a method that the court is likely to accept, like having the meeting take place at a lawyer’s office,” Hironaka told a news conference Thursday afternoon.

His remarks followed a pretrial hearing at the Tokyo District Court. Introduced in 2005 as part of the country’s judicial reforms, pretrial hearings are intended to streamline criminal trial procedures by having defense and prosecutors clarify points of contention in the presence of a judge.

Ghosn, accompanied by his defense team and with strikingly gray hair, arrived at the court wearing a dark suit, a white shirt and a tie.

Hironaka said Thursday’s pretrial hearing pertained to Ghosn’s alleged transfer of private investment losses to Nissan during the 2008 global financial crisis. The prosecutors alleged Ghosn orchestrated the transfer of ¥1.6 billion in payments to a firm run by Saudi businessman Khaled Juffali.

The prosecutors recently revised one of the indictments, alleging Juffali paid about ¥2 billion to Ghosn.

Hironaka said the defense team had asked the prosecutors at the pretrial hearing to explain the amendment to the indictment. Prosecutors declined to provide an immediate answer, which resulted in the court ordering the prosecutors to provide a response to the defense team’s question within two weeks.

The court additionally ordered the prosecutors to disclose further evidence by June 21 pertaining to Ghosn’s dealings with Juffali, as well as from the latest indictment involving the alleged misappropriating of ¥1.7 billion in payments to Nissan’s exclusive distributor in Oman, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles. Ghosn was rearrested and indicted for the fourth time in April over the Oman allegations.

“We (the defense team) insisted on speeding up the process (and the disclosure of evidence) by the end of May,” Hironaka said.

Prosecutors believe some of the money was siphoned off to a Lebanese investment firm he effectively owns for his own personal use and for his family, including his wife Carole Ghosn.

Even though Carole Ghosn has not been arrested or charged, prosecutors have questioned her. Under the bail condition the defense team presented, Carole Ghosn is prohibited from seeing her husband without court approval.

The next pretrial hearing will be held on June 24, and will cover Ghosn’s alleged under-reporting of his income for years. Prosecutors claim Ghosn hid about ¥9.1 billion over an eight-year period.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/05/23/business/corporate-business/ghosns-first-full-trial-unlikely-convene-next-spring-lawyers-say/

Notable: 1/19 Joint Force Quarterly featured an interview and article by GEN Nakasone

>>6570012 @US_CYBERCOM 2:37 PM - 22 May 2019

ICYMI: Joint Force Quarterly, Vol. 92, January 2019, featured an interview and article by GEN Nakasone, Commander, U.S. Cyber Command, which includes more info on the Persistent Engagement strategy:

https://twitter.com/US_CYBERCOM/status/1131313104049119233

https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Portals/68/Doc

Notable: SES adds 1.9TRILLION in "hidden tax' through regulations

>>6569920

The republic has been dying in darkness.

Like a parasite, the Senior Executive Service, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has usurped the authority of our once great nation:

'Swamp' thwarts Trump with $1.9T ‘hidden tax’ in regulations

President Trump’s administration cut by almost two-thirds the average number of regulations issued for every law passed, but still the “hidden tax” imposed by the unelected bureaucracy was nearly $2 trillion, according to a new analysis. The Competitiveness Enterprise Institute said that the $1.9 trillion in regulation translated into a “burden” of $14,600 on every household, an amount so high that if the costs were a country, it would the ninth largest, just ahead of Canada. The huge number and choking impact on the nation shows just how big a battle Trump’s anti-regulation war faces. During the 2016 campaign and while in office he has railed against the Washington "swamp" that includes unelected federal regulators entrenched in the bureaucracy.

Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., author of the just-released Ten Thousand Commandments: An Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State, found that Trump has made good on his promise to cut regulations. He noted, for example, that Trump’s government cut the average number of regulations imposed for every new piece of legislation. The average is 27 rules, but the Trump administration cut that to 11 in 2018. Trump also reduced the regulations-filled pages of the Federal Register to a near low. What’s more, the Trump administration “withdrew or delayed” 1,579 Obama rules that were in the pipeline. And, he noted, the Office of Management and Budget reported that agencies cut $33 billion in the “regulatory budget,” and it anticipates additional savings in fiscal year 2019 of another $18 billion.

Still, the costs of existing regulations are enormous, said Crews, vice president for policy and a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “Despite the progress made on regulatory reform under President Trump, American consumers and businesses are still on the hook for the ‘hidden tax’ of federal regulation,” said Crews. “And that progress is further threatened by President Trump’s own regulatory impulses on issues ranging from antitrust enforcement to trade restrictions to food and drug matters, and more,” he added.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/swamp-thwarts-trump-with-1-9-trillion-hidden-tax-in-regulations

Ten Thousand Commandments 2019

https://www.scribd.com/document/409009519/Ten-Thousand-Commandments-2019#from_embed

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/

“THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT — USES SES, SERCO, AND OPIC AS PORTALS INTO UNSPEAKABLE CORRUPTION”

“SES & OPIC CONSTITUTES AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL SECRET GOVERNMENT, BUT IT’S WORSE. OTHER GOVERNMENTS HELP DRIVE THE SES SEDITION BUS.”

“The Senior Executive Services (SES) includes over 8,000 Obama stay-behind senior federal employees in all agencies of the U.S. government. They openly state that they cannot be fired by the President, which means they are not accountable to our Republic and have a law unto themselves. See our previous post Obama hired them. Trump cannot fire them. So they say.  It went viral 30 days ago with an estimated 500,000 views. The story is out.”

http://themillenniumreport.com/2018/04/how-ses-serco-opic-do-the-dirty-work-of-the-shadow-government/

“The Senior Executive Service (SES) lead America’s workforce. As the

keystone

of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the SES was established to “…ensure that the executive management of the Government of the United States is responsive to the needs, policies, and goals of the Nation and otherwise is of the highest quality.” These leaders possess well-honed executive skills and share a broad perspective on government and a public service commitment that is grounded in the Constitution.”

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/

“President Trump is planning to use his executive powers to remove a federal agency, in line with his administration's goal of cutting what it sees as wasteful spending and inefficiencies, the Washington Post reports.

The big picture: By the fall, the Office of Personnel Management anticipates an executive order that will break up the agency and, at first, assign its responsibilities to 3 different departments. The administration reportedly does not intend to lay off any of its 5,565 employees, but will eventually shrink its workforce through retirements and unfilled vacancies.”

https://www.axios.com/trump-office-personal-management-dismantle-838b05d9-4425-408a-a099-7cbd60ee49ab.html

Notable: Cartel 'stewmaker' says he dissolved 300 bodies

>>6569355

>>6568161, >>6568106 Joe Rogan | The Corruption Behind Operation Fast and Furious

==Revelation: "The "StewMaker" said that he got trained by Israelis…"

@8:00 min, Ed Calderon tells Joe that the amount of killing that is occurring in Mexico is at an "industrial level" [genocide?]. He says that he "was there when they got the "StewMaker" who worked for the Sinaloa drug cartel in Tijuana. He would receive dead bodies every-night and he would drop them in these huge barrels of caustic soda. He said in [police] interviews that he got trained by Israelis."

Cartel 'stewmaker' says he dissolved 300 bodies

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/01/24/mexico.cartel.arrest/index.html

Notable: NSA tweet re:Ghidra improvements

NSA/CSS @NSAGov

We heard you and we made some improvements! Download #Ghidra 9.0.4 today and start reversing! https://ghidra-sre.org/ #SRE #NSA #cybersecurity

https://twitter.com/NSAGov/status/1131599075411988480

9:33 AM - 23 May 2019

We heard you and we made some improvements!

Notable: Theatrical production starring Dean Cain & Kristy Swanson reading Strzok/Page texts coming out

"A new theatrical production in Washington is aiming to be “Hamilton” for the Make America Great Again crowd.

The same documentary filmmakers who convinced the White House to host a recent screening of an anti-abortion movie have planned a live stage reading next month based on thousands of anti-Trump text messages recovered by the FBI last year from the cellphones of the former Trump-Russia investigators Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, three people familiar with the project told POLITICO.

Dean Cain, a Trump supporter who played Superman in the television series "Lois & Clark" and who starred in the anti-abortion film, “Gosnell,” has agreed to play Strzok, according to McAleer.

Actress Kristy Swanson, known for her lead role in the 1992 cult film “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” will portray Page, who engaged in an extramarital affair with Strzok during and after the 2016 election when they were colleagues at the law enforcement agency."

msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fbi-lovebirds-trump-ally-bringing-strzok-page-texts-to-the-theater-stage/ar-AABKxja

Notable: POTUS calls out TREASON

>>6569699

Treason

1min 43 secs

Notable: Lawyer Who Made Case for Clinton Indictment Confirmed as Judge

Lawyer Who Made Case for Clinton Indictment Confirmed as Judge

https://biglawbusiness.com/lawyer-who-made-case-for-clinton-indictment-confirmed-as-judge

Notable: Swallwell announces he's accepting crypto currency for donations to his Presidential campaign

"Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., will accept donations made in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to his presidential campaign, Coindesk reports.

Blockchain firm The White Company, which is providing the Swalwell campaign with the technology to process the donations, made the announcement on Thursday.

“Eric is running for President to end gun violence, solve the student debt crisis, and make sure Government serves the people. He supports blockchain technology and the use of cryptocurrency to empower the people,” the company wrote on a dedicated page for the candidate."

newsmax.com/newsfront/eric-swalwell-cryptocurrency-bitcoin-2020/2019/05/23/id/917355/

Notable: >>6569816 CEO gets 50 years for defrauding Medicare with a ponzi scheme/related to Manafort case

Some more medical fraud. Amazing how much have been going down. Stealing Medicare cash… they seem to have found so many ways to harvest our tax dollars.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/president-and-ceo-las-vegas-investment-company-sentenced-50-years-prison-running-15-billion

Notable: Interpol rescues 50 children from dark web sex ring

Sputnik @SputnikInt 2:39 PM - 23 May 2019

.@INTERPOL_HQ rescues 50 children, arrests nine sex offenders from darkweb sex ring https://sptnkne.ws/m4Xn #OperationBlackwrist

https://twitter.com/SputnikInt/status/1131676104815722496

Notable: C-SPAN Transcript of POTUS's answer to "Who committed Treason"?

C-SPAN Transcript of POTUS's answer to "Who committed Treason"?

YOU'VE ACCUSED YOUR ADVERSARIES OF TREASON. WHO ARE YOU ACCUSING OF TREASON?

I THINK A NUMBER OF PEOPLE. I THINK WHAT YOU LOOK IS THAT THEY HAVE UNSUCCESSFULLY TRIED TO TAKE DOWN THE WRONG PERSON. YOU LOOK AT COMEY, IF YOU LOOK AT MCCABE, IF YOU LOOK AT PROBABLY PEOPLE HIGHER THAN THAT. IF YOU LOOK AT STRZOK, IF YOU LOOK AT HIS LOVER LYRIC IS A PAIGE, HIS WONDERFUL LOVER, THE TWO LOVERS THEY TALKED OPENLY, YOU KNOW, THEY DIDN'T USE THEIR PRIVATE SERVER BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT. SO THEY USED THE GOVERNMENT SERVER. THAT WAS NOT A GOOD MOVE. HE TALKED ABOUT THE INSURANCE POLICY JUST IN CASE CROOKED HILLARY LOSES. AND THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT TOO WELL FOR THEM. SO YOU LOOK AT THEM. THEY WANTED AN INSURANCE POLICY SO SHOULD SHE, FOR ANY REASON, LOSE, REMEMBER, 100 MILLION TO ONE, MAYBE HE SAID 100 MILLION TO NOTHING. BUT SHOULD SHE LOSE WE'LL HAVE AN INSURANCE POLICY AND WE'LL GET THIS GUY OUT OF OFFICE. THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID AND THAT'S WHAT THEY MEANT. THAT'S TREASON. THAT'S TREASON. THEY COULDN'T WIN THE ELECTION, AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. BECAUSE WITHOUT THE TREASON WORD, I GUESS, BUT THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW. THEY DON'T FEEL THEY CAN WIN THE ELECTION SO THEY'RE TRYING TO DO THE THOUSAND STABS. KEEP STABBING. LET'S HAVE A FINANCIAL. LET'S HAVE – IF YOU LOOK, FOR $40 MILLION I WOULD THINK SERIOUSLY THAT BOB MUELLER AND HIS GROUP OF 18 KILLERS HAVE GONE OVER MY TAXES, THEY'VE GONE OVER MY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, TO A LEVEL THAT NOBODY HAS GONE OVER THEM BEFORE. AND THEY WERE NOT DISCUSSED EVEN. THEY WEREN'T EVEN DISCUSSED OR BROUGHT UP. I HAVE GREAT STATEMENTS. WHAT ELSE?

https:/www.c-span.org/video/?461027-1/president-trump-announces-16-biillion-aid-package-farmers-ranchers%3C)&start=2567" target="_blank">https://www.c-span.org/video/?461027-1/president-trump-announces-16-biillion-aid-package-farmers-ranchers%3C%20(%3Ehttps:/www.c-span.org/video/?461027-1/president-trump-announces-16-biillion-aid-package-farmers-ranchers%3C)&start=2567

Notable: Dig on Children's Defense Fund

>>6569158 (PB)

CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND

#PEDOVORE SUPERSCAMS#

Children's Defense Fund is the largest active, satanist pedovore organization with nationwide grooming/recruiting operations ongoing (5/3/2019) under multiple program names such as; "Freedom Schools," "Beat the Odds" "Faith based programs" and many others.

https://cdfca.org/programs/beat-the-odds/

Search the Q research archive for the vast load of data on Children's Defense Fund and their Pedowood/Clinton Foundation connections.

https://qresear.ch/

High functioning psychopathic pedovores, the "biggest names in Hollywood" among them, formed the sham charity back in the 1980s to provide continuous access to children and vulnerable youth under charitable cover or pretext.

The pedovore's phony Children's Defense Fund solicits tax free charitable donations but their activities are largely funded by Federal and State tx dollars. Fund raising and political lobbying are carried out by an ever-changing cavalcade of Pedowood satanists, the biggest and brightest stars, the most powerful studio bosses.

The satanic predators running our new and entertainment industry use sham charities, foundations and museums to support a whole range of criminal activities. Children's Defense Fund is used for money laundering, drug trafficking in addition to providing a secure supply of child victims for ritual sexual activities and human sacrifice.

TLdr

One of the biggest charities enjoying broad support in the Entertainment Industry is "Children's Defense Fund" a charade operated by popular and beloved show business figures and political celebrities to access children the sham charity pretends to protect. "Children's Defense Fund" is a vehicle for satanist pedovore predation and other criminal activity.

Children's Defense Fund is a worldwide, satanist pedovore child trafficking and money laundering scam operation. CDF has

branches in Africa, Asia and the ME, and runs multiple programs in impoverished, minority communities throughout the US.

Search all Q research archives here:

https://qresear.ch/

Do not let these baby sit:

https://www.childrensdefense.org/about/leadership-and-staff/staff/

Sample search product:

#2764810 at 2018-08-28 13:54:06 (UTC+1)

Q Research General #3492: He Who did Not Depart on His Own Terms Edition

Following on from the Discussion yesterday about JJ Abrams.

I have found a massive link between him and HRC through the Children's defence fund, where HRC claimed she started working

in 1973 before the Watergate investigation.

I have also shown links where she is buying and selling influence to this NPO and Lobbying group, by literally selling out

to Goldman Sachs.

Q Research General #3111: Detective Edition

Late to the bread but digging on Clinton/James ties…

Lebron makes massive donations to the Children's defense fund

https://moneyinc.com/lebron-james-five-humongous-charitable-donations/

Which connects him deeply to the Clinton family…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-hillary-clintons-long-tense-relationship-with-her-liberal-

mentor/2016/06/02/b204f6de-22af-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html?utm_term=.bc7c0ed5d321

Notable: Syrian Gas Attack Was Staged Leaked OPCW Documents Reveal via Jimmy Dore

https://www.twitter.com/jimmy_dore/status/1131355581753593857

Notable: >>6569741, >>6569788, >>6569910, >>6569919 mini buns/digs on Zarif

>>6569626

>>6569409

appears Zarif knows Biden, too. And appears he has spent time in the USA as a UN rep

he must be C_A clown

Notable: DJT Bringing His Kids to UK on his official visit

hmmm

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/donald-trump-to-bring-all-his-adult-children-on-uk-state-visit/ar-AABOjwO?ocid=spartanntp

Notable: Vladimir Putin had a meeting with #FIFA President Gianni Infantino

President of Russia

‏Verified account @KremlinRussia_E

8:41 AM - 23 May 2019

#Kremlin: Vladimir Putin had a meeting with #FIFA President Gianni Infantino

https://twitter.com/KremlinRussia_E/status/1131585905485946880

Notable: Planefag update

GTMO842

doin' what it do

Notable: Maddows Ratings PLUMMET

Rachel Madcow's Weekly Ratings Just Plunged To Yearly Lows

Following a string of embarrassments over the last few years, including the famous "I've got Trump's taxes" fiasco, followed by crying on air when she had to announce that Robert Mueller's investigation found no collusion, it looks as though even MSNBC viewers are starting to throw in the towel on Rachel Maddow.

Last week, Maddow's show averaged 2,324,000 viewers, with an average audience of 337,000 in the 25-54 age demographic, both of which mark yearly lows, according to Nielsen Media Research. The drop coincided with the "conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation," according to the Daily Caller.

Maddow's previous weekly low in 2019 was the final week of March, the first full week after Mueller submitted his conclusion to AG William Barr and right around the time that people were starting to realize that it didn't look like further indictments were going to happen.

That week, she averaged 2,458,000 viewers with 392,000 in the key demographic.

Maddow famously spent two non-stop years discussing the collusion hoax, repeatedly alleging that President Trump had conspired with Russia in order to win the 2016 election.

Meanwhile, Sean Hannity - Maddow's prime time foil in more ways than one - saw his show become the most watched among all cable news shows. Hannity averaged 3,108,000 viewers with just under half-a-million viewers in the key demographic. The ratings of CNN's Chris Cuomo, barely a blip on the radar, revealed 880,000 viewers with 225,000 in the key demographic.

Recall, we reported on a devastating Twitter takedown of Maddow by The Nation's Aaron Mate after her narrative of collusion turned out to be one of the biggest "nothingburgers" of Trump's presidency thus far.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-23/rachel-maddows-weekly-ratings-just-plunged-yearly-lows

Notable: New CBS News poll finds that the majority of Americans want Congressional Democrats to drop investigations into Russia matters and move on to other issues

@RealSaavedra 11:13 AM - 23 May 2019

New CBS News poll finds that the majority of Americans want Congressional Democrats to drop investigations into Russia matters and move on to other issues

https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1131624136277553152

… Kek

Notable: Big banks hand Trump’s financial records over to House Dems

Can we say 4th Amendment violation?

=NEWS=

Big banks hand Trump’s financial records over to House Dems

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wells-fargo-td-bank-turn-over-trump-financial-records-to-house-financial-services-committee

Notable: Facebook Removed A Record 2.2 Billion "Fake" Accounts In Q1

Facebook Removed A Record 2.2 Billion Fake Accounts In Q1

On one hand, Facebook - the world's biggest social media company - represented that it has just under 2.4 billion monthly active users from across the globe.

On the other hand, Facebook on Thursday said it has removed a record 2.2 billion fake accounts in the first quarter, which while putting the former number to doubt as it is almost as big as Facebook's entire universe of "active" users, also demonstrates how the company is battling an avalanche of what Bloomberg called "bad actors" trying to undermine the authenticity of the world’s largest social network… alternatively one wonders just how credible is the 2.4 billion MAU number when there is such an onslaught of fake accounts.

In the last quarter of 2018, Facebook disabled just over 1 billion fake accounts and 583 million in the first quarter of last year. According to Facebook, the vast majority of such "fake" accounts are removed within minutes of being created, so they’re not counted in Facebook’s closely watched monthly and daily active user metrics, although there is no way to verify any of these claims of course.

Facebook also shared a new metric in Thursday’s report: the number of posts removed that were promoting or engaging in drug and firearm sales, and in the first quarter of 2019, Facebook pulled more than 1.5 million posts from these categories. According to Bloomberg, Tuesday’s report "is a striking reminder of the scale at which Facebook operates - and the size of its problems."

The releases were made as part of the company's third ever content transparency report, a bi-annual document that outlines Facebook’s efforts to remove posts and accounts that violate its policies. As part of the report, it said that it was getting better at finding and removing other troubling content like hate speech in the process.

There were some additional insights into its AI algorithms, which apparently work well for some issues, like graphic and violent content; as a result Facebook detects almost 97% of all graphic and violent posts it removes before a user reports them to the company. On the other hand, Facebook is still terrible at detecting the type of graphic or violent content that really matters, such as the "promotional" variety used in live videos, a "blind spot" that allowed a shooter to live broadcast his killing spree at a New Zealand Mosque earlier this year.

The company said that its software also hasn’t worked as well for more nuanced categories, like hate speech, where context around user relationships and language can be a big factor. It is also why Facebook has cracked down on all aspects of speech and expression, having hired third party scanners, although it has now been documented that a majority of Facebook's "banned" content tends to come from conservative sources.

Still, Facebook says it’s getting better. Over the past six months, 65% of the posts Facebook removed for pushing hate speech were automatically detected. A year ago, that number was just 38%.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-23/facebook-removed-record-22-billion-fake-accounts-q1

Notable: North Korea calls Joe Biden an "imbecile bereft of elementary quality as a human being

‘’’North Korea calls Joe Biden an "imbecile bereft of elementary quality as a human being"’’’

May 22, 2019 / 10:47 AM / CBS/AP

North Korea has labeled former Vice President Joe Biden "an imbecile bereft of elementary quality as a human being" and a "fool of low IQ," after the U.S. presidential hopeful called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a tyrant.

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, said Wednesday that Biden "reeled off rhetoric slandering" the country's supreme leadership and committed an "intolerable and serious politically-motivated provocation" against the country.

Biden, during a campaign launch in Philadelphia on Saturday, accused President Donald Trump of cozying up to "dictators and tyrants" like Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"What he uttered is just sophism of an imbecile bereft of elementary quality as a human being, let alone a politician," KCNA said.

KCNA's piece, labeled a commentary, said Biden had "gone reckless and senseless, seized by ambition for power." It went on to mention apparent Biden gaffes, such as once appearing to fall asleep during a speech by President Barack Obama.

"It is by no means accidental that here is nonstop comment over his bid for candidacy that he is not worth pinning hope on, backed by the jeer that he is a fool of low IQ," KCNA said. It mocked Biden's belief that he was "the most popular presidential candidate."

''This is enough to make a cat laugh," the report said.

There was no immediate reaction from the Biden camp.

North Korea has often unleashed crude insults against U.S. and South Korean politicians to criticize what it sees as slanderous remarks toward its leadership or hostile diplomatic and military policies against Pyongyang. The insults have included racist and sexist diatribes, including when the North called Obama "a monkey" and former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, the country's first female leader, a prostitute.

In 2017, Kim called Mr. Trump a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard" after he said the U.S. would "totally destroy North Korea" if forced to defend itself or its allies.

North Korea's description of Mr. Trump dramatically improved after Kim initiated diplomacy with Washington and Seoul in 2018 while attempting to leverage his nuclear arsenal for economic and security benefits. However, the nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang stalled in February when a summit between Kim and Mr. Trump collapsed over mismatched demands in sanctions relief and disarmament.

Amid the deadlocked diplomacy, South Korea's military said earlier this month that North Korea fired projectiles from the western part of the country into the sea – the second North Korea launch over a five-day period. In the latest launch, on the U.S. tracked three short-range ballistic missiles, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reported.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-calls-joe-biden-imbecile-bereft-of-elementary-quality-as-human-being-after-biden-called-kim-jong-un-tyrant/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=67909157

Notable: Russia: Corruption Scandals and Amazing Court Decisions

Russia: Corruption Scandals and Amazing Court Decisions

The Investigative Committee of Russia charged Deputy Chief of the Federal Agency for State Reserves (Rosrezerv) Aleksandr Kiruhin with a fraud. The former chief of the oil products department of Rosrezerv Vadim Gavrilov, his deputy Oleg Lasarev, as well as the director of the Storage Challenge Research Insitute Sergey Ulanin and Director General of OOO “NaftaPremium” Aleksandr Bezrukov were also charged in the framework of the same case related to the embezzlement of public funds.

According to investigators, in 2014 Rosrezerv and OOO Tvernefteprodukt SO signed a 3.2 billion rubles-worth state contract for the provision of services to restore the quality of diesel fuel after long-term storage at Rosrezerv’s plants. The investigation believes that Rosrezerv was aware that the work will not allow to improve the quality of the fuel. Nevertheless, it signed the document confirming final acceptance of fake work and transferred 3.2 billion rubles.

Besides this, investigators are bringing to trial high-profile cases of embezzlement during the repair of residences of senior state officials as well as objects at Red Square. Russian mainstream media provided little coverage to this scandal.

The large-scale investigation includes multiple episodes, including the embezzlement of 1.5 billion rubles during the reconstruction of “Ogarevo-53” (the residential residency). The Investigative Committee also evaluated data regarding possible embezzlement of public funds during works on 3 other dedicated facilities: “Red Square, 5” (the complex of buildings at Red Square); “Gorky-9 (the prime minister residency) and “Vorobyovy Gory” (country houses and house receptions for the highest officials of the state and leaders of other countries visiting Moscow). Investigators checked data on an possible embezzlement during the reconstruction of the Kremlin Wall.

According to the Investigative Committee, Dmitry Malchenko is the creator and leader of the organized crime syndicate involved in this case. Malechenko is the former owner of the port “Bronko” and a co-owner of the group of companies “Baltstroy”. According to investigators, Malchenko had two close deputies in the framework of the created organized crime syndicate: the head of the Federal Protective Service’s Federal State Unitary Enterprise “ATEKS”, Andrei Kaminov, and another co-owner of “Baltstroy”, Dmitry Sergeev. They led the structural units of the organized crime syndicate.

According to the Investigative Committee, Malchenko entice into the embezzlement of public funds the following persons: the head of the Engineering Support Service of the Federal Protective Service, Igor Vasiliev, and the head of the division of the Engineering Support Service of the Federal Protective Service, Utilin.

Mikhalchenko and most of the other defendants in the case face Articles 210 (organization of a criminal group) and 160 (misappropriation or embezzlement) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. However, Vasiliev and Utilin face charges under Article 160 only.

https://southfront.org/russia-corruption-scandals-and-amazing-court-decisions/

Notable: Q CLOCK UPDATE

Q CLOCK UPDATE - RE-READ CRUMBS

Today's Q Clock :52

@Jack

MZ

Your hands are dirty.

When does a bird sing?

Public awareness forces hand.

There is nothing more precious than our children.

These people are SICK!

Today's :25/:55 Q Clock Mirror :57

Watch for 'TheMagikBOT'.

Jared Cohen.

Coming soon to a theater near you.

FISA

[20]

Twitter bot attack (twitter conrols dir/fake accts)

The Clinton family is working overtime.

Today's 180-Degree Q Clock Mirror :22

Stage being set?

BOOM week ahead.

The game is over when the public knows.

THERE IS NOWHERE TO HIDE.

No amount of money, influence, or power can stop this.

Forced immigration putshers will be exposed (the 'why').

We stand w/ the good people of IRAN who are currently battling their 'installed' regime for FREEDOM.

THIS IS ABOUT SAVING AMERICA. WRWY N1LB FG&C WWG1WGA!

Notable: Mossad, Saudi intel officials get along well, says former chief

Mossad, Saudi intel officials get along well, says former chief

“You can be an enemy when you are walking from the room, but when you are sitting together, you can share your experience, you can talk a lot, and you can deal with many obstacles,” he continued.

Mossad and Saudi Arabian intelligence agents communicate well, the agency’s former chief indirectly revealed in an interview with Intelligence Matters host and former CIA director Michael Morell Wednesday.

Discussing the strength of cooperation between agents of different countries’ intelligence agencies, Tamir Pardo started rattling off many of the usual suspects with whom the Mossad cooperates, and then unexpectedly tossed in the Saudis.

“Before talking about the relationship between the CIA and Israel and the United States, even to speak to Arab countries that you don’t have any kind of relation, when you meet people from your profession, it’s so easy, okay?” Pardo said.

“You can be an enemy when you are walking from the room, but when you are sitting together, you can share your experience, you can talk a lot, and you can deal with many obstacles,” he continued.

Finally, Pardo said that when intelligence agencies “are looking for certain qualities, and whether you’re serving in the CIA, the MI6, or one of any other country, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, you need the same people, the same qualities. So it’s quite easy… They can fight each other very well, but they can talk and communicate very well.”

In November and December 2017, there was a flurry of rare public confirmation of contacts between Israel and the Saudis by former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, minister Yuval Steinitz and then-CIA director Mike Pompeo.

However, Pardo’s statement dated the Israeli-Saudi intelligence cooperation back to an earlier period, since he served as Mossad director from 2011 until March 2016.

Furthermore, Pardo’s statement was a much more personal reflection about his dealings with intelligence agents from Saudi Arabia and other countries – implying that Mossad-Saudi dealings are often similar to dealings with traditional allied intelligence agencies.

Besides cooperation, Pardo reflected on the current tensions between Iran, Israel and the US.

Asked by Morell if Iran sought “the elimination of the State of Israel,” he replied: “Look, that’s what they are stating, okay? I think that they know that that’s an illusion. Maybe it’s good for their own propaganda, and it might serve us if we want to do a few things, but it’s – come on. When they are facing reality, they will never be able to do it. It doesn’t matter which kind of weapon they’re going to hold.”

The reason, he said, is “because I believe that we know how to defend ourselves. We showed it when we were a very young country, against, let’s say, combined forces from all Arab countries. Now we have peace with some of them, and quite good relations with others. So I think that maybe for them, it’s a dream, but it’s more an illusion than a dream.”

Despite Pardo’s confidence that Iran does not endanger Israel’s existence, he did warn of multiple threats from the Islamic republic.

“One is the nuclear program,” said the former Mossad chief. “The other [is] their vision that they’re going to have a corridor between Tehran and the Mediterranean Sea. And the third thing is [to] be dominant in many other countries by supporting minorities like they’re doing in Yemen, like they did in South America, in certain places in Africa.”

Pardo also told Morell that cyber attacks pose a major concern.

“I believe it’s the biggest threat that the free world, our planet, is dealing with these days,” the spy chief said. “You can compare it to a nuclear threat that we used to see during the Cold War days.”

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Mossad-Saudi-intel-officials-get-along-well-says-former-chief-590531

Notable: Trump on Pelosi at today's Support for American Farmers event

Trump on Pelosi at today's Support for American Farmers event (with sauce)

1) Trump said the USMCA trade deal is supported by Democrats even if it’s too complicated for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to understand.

2) question from pool about USMCA, reiterating that Pelosi doesn’t understand the bill. Getting to the point they need to send it in.

3) Asked about “intervention” comment from Pelosi, Trump said he was extremely calm. Called her “Crazy Nancy” and said she lost it. Called on Kellyanne Conway to defend him and confirm he was calm, which she did.

4) Trump said of Pelosi, “I think she’s got a lot of problems.”

https://publicpool.kinja.com/subject-in-town-pool-report-6-1834989246

Notable: Tom Fitton on Assange Indictments

Assange indictment is a reminder that there is no media exception to laws against illegal dissemination of classified material. Recall @NYTimes and @washingtonpost made use of illegally leaked classified info to get @realDonaldTrump. Will media be criminally investigated?

CST

https://twitter.com/TomFitton/status/1131669758611472386

Notable: Sen. Feinstein Dines with Iranian FM Amid Tensions

Sen. Feinstein Dines with Iranian FM Amid Tensions

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) had dinner with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Politico reported Thursday. Feinstein's office said her dinner was "arranged in consultation with the State Department." The State Department said it had not asked the senior senator from California to attend the dinner.

Zarif has served in his post since 2013. He negotiated the Joint Congressional Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear agreement, with then-Secretary of State John Kerry. In February of this year, he announced he would be resigning from the post. After several days of confusion, the Iranian government clarified he would remain in his role.

Politico reported last week that Feinstein was seen holding an unlocked phone with Zarif's contact information open. At the time, her office declined to confirm her communication with the Persian diplomat. This week, Zarif accused the United States of playing a "dangerous game" with its response to Iranian escalations. He has refused to negotiate with the White House to calm the situation unless the U.S. shows sufficient "respect" to the theocratic regime. Tension between Iran and the United States has only heightened since President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA last May. According to information released by the White House in March, Iran is responsible for some six hundred American fatalities in Iraq between 2003 and 2011.

U.S. assessment determined that Iran was behind attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers and a Norwegian ship earlier this month. Satellite images found that Iran had loaded fully assembled missiles onto small ships, raising concerns that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was preparing to strike American or allied assets in the Persian Gulf. The IRGC, a paramilitary group, responds directly to Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei, not to Iran's quasi-democratically elected government. The U.S. designated it a terror organization last month.

Trump responded to Iranian provocation with threats of force, insisting he was prepared to speak with the Iranians, but would not tolerate provocations. On Sunday, he promised any fight would usher in "the official end of Iran." In the days since, Iran has removed the missiles from the ships, prompting some U.S. officials to consider the situation improved.

On Monday, Trump urged the Iranians to de-escalate and come to the table as "their economy continues to collapse." Punishing U.S. sanctions have sent Iran's economy into months of free-fall. Thursday, news organizations reported that the Pentagon was preparing contingency situations in which as many as 10,000 troops would head to the region to counter conventional Iranian efforts.

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/sen-feinstein-dines-with-iranian-fm-amid-tensions/

Notable: Democratic Presidential Candidate Jay Inslee Signs Sanctuary State Bill Into Law

Democratic Presidential Candidate Signs Sanctuary State Bill Into Law

Washington became the latest state to offer safe haven to illegal immigrants after Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed a “sanctuary” bill into law. The legislation largely prohibits local law enforcement from asking about an individual’s immigration status or place of birth, with an exception if it pertains to a criminal investigation. State prisons and jails are also barred from honoring voluntary “immigration holds” requested by federal authorities such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or from alerting them when a migrant is soon to be released from jail. The rules, signed into law Tuesday, are considered some of the most restrictive in the country.

“Our state agencies are not immigration enforcement agencies,” said Inslee, who is also a Democratic presidential candidate. “We will not be complicit in the Trump administration’s depraved efforts to break up hard-working immigrant and refugee families.” The legislation is a mandate for all local law enforcement, expanding on a 2017 executive order by Inslee that imposed similar measures that only pertained to state agencies.

Inslee’s signature puts Washington on par with a growing number of deep-blue states that have enacted sanctuary policies. A list compiled by the Center for Immigration Studies names at least eight states that enacted laws protecting illegal immigrants from local law enforcement and ICE. The sanctuary policies brought on by state governments put them in direct conflict with the White House. President Donald Trump has continued to prioritize immigration reform, and the administration is considering a slate of measures that would ratchet up deportation of legal and illegal immigrants.

The sanctuary bill wasn’t the only legislation Inslee, known nationally for his environmental agenda, signed into law in recent days. The Democratic governor legalized human composting Tuesday, which creates an environmentally friendly alternative to being buried or cremated. Licensed facilities in the state can offer “natural organic reduction,” a process that mixes a dead body’s remains with substances such as straw and wood chips, making it healthier for the soil.

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/23/washington-sanctuary-inslee-2020/

Notable: Trump says he may send USMCA deal to Congress soon, triggering deadline

Trump says he may send USMCA deal to Congress soon, triggering deadline

President Trump said Thursday that he may send his U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade to Congress soon, imposing a 60-day deadline for lawmakers to vote on the deal. Trump hedged, though, saying that he wasn't certain whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would actually allow a vote, saying that she has "problems." "She's a mess. Look, let's face it, she doesn't understand it… It's finished, it's signed," Trump said. "Mexico has approved the deal. Canada has approved the deal. They're waiting to get a signal from her." He called on farmers to press Democrats to get Pelosi to bring it up for a vote. "She's got to get up to snuff. She has to learn the bill," Trump said. "I think she wants to approve the bill. [U.S. Trade Representative] Bob Lighthizer is waiting to get the okay from her to send it in. But we're at a point where we're just going to have to send it in."

Under Trade Promotion Authority, the law covering congressional approval of trade deals, the House must vote within 60 days of a deal being formally submitted by the president for it to be ratified. If a vote isn't held the deal, the process for submitting the bill must restarted, which would delay a potential vote for several more months at least. Pelosi has repeatedly said that the USMCA deal, which would replace the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement, needs strong enforcement provisions included in it before it can be brought up for a vote,. Several Democrats echoed that position earlier in the week. Trump said Pelosi had told Lighthizer she needed two weeks to read over the deal after she receives it. Trump said that was too long given that she was presiding over a "do-nothing" Congress.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/trump-says-he-may-send-usmca-deal-to-congress-soon-triggering-deadline

Notable: Shanahan disputes reports US might send 10,000 more troops to counter Iran

Shanahan disputes reports US might send 10,000 more troops to counter Iran

He didn’t call it “fake news,” but acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon that their sources “aren’t feeding you right information.” Shanahan made a point of stopping to talk to reporters covering the arrival of the Vietnamese deputy prime minister to dispute reports that the Pentagon was briefing the White House Thursday on an option to send as many as 10,000 additional troops to the Persian Gulf region in response to threats from Iran. “I got up this morning and read that we were sending 10,000 troops to the Middle East, and then I read about, more recently, there’s 5,000,” said Shanahan. “There is no 10,000 and there is no 5,000.”

Shanahan said the Pentagon is reviewing its “force protection” measures, which he conceded “may involve sending additional troops," but he insisted no such plan has been proposed. “Numbers get floated out there, and you’ve got lots of good sources of information. What I’m telling you is: Those sources right now aren’t feeding you right information,” Shanahan said. “As soon as anything changes, I’ll let you know. I really will.”

Shanahan reiterated that the United States is not spoiling for a fight with Iran. “We have a mission there in the Middle East: freedom of navigation, counterterrorism in Syria and Iraq, defeating al Qaeda in Yemen, and the security of Israel and Jordan,” he said. “Our job is deterrence. This is not about war.”

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/shanahan-disputes-reports-us-might-send-10-000-more-troops-to-counter-iran

Notable: Theresa May Resigning

This is bigly, Britain is our number one ally and their leader is resigning. Right in the feelz. Feeling the weight of Declas blues(as deacon blues plays on the jukebox). Between the tunes you hear passerby’s keking down the street.

Sauce extra spicy tenders: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/theresa-set-finally-quit-avoid-16191553.amp?__twitter_impression=true

Notable: Melania Tweets #FlagsIn

Melania #FlagsIn Tweet. (Q #FlagsOut)

https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/1131649717908180993?s=19

Notable: >>6569194 Snowden tweet/retweets on Assange indictments

New ES

The Department of Justice just declared war––€”not on Wikileaks, but on journalism itself. This is no longer about Julian Assange: This case will decide the future of media.

https://twitter.com/snowden/status/1131657973745496066?s=21

Notable: Pelosi's use of the word Intervention re: POTUS compared to McCain's use re: JFK

NoName had an epic Freudian slip about JFK's assassination…called it the "Intervention".

Today, Nancy Pelosi called for an "Intervention" with President Trump…

Notable: Collusion: Report documents links between staffers at HuffPost, The Guardian, and SPLC to Left-wing domestic terror group Antifa

Collusion: Report documents links between staffers at HuffPost, The Guardian, and SPLC to Left-wing domestic terror group Antifa

It is hard for many Americans, if not most of us, to imagine a time when our country was not so politically and culturally divided.

What’s more, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which things begin to improve between rival factions.

A sign of our divided times is the rise of Antifa, a loosely-aligned Marxist-Left group of political agitators who came to prominence during the heady days of Donald Trump’s rise in the ranks of GOP presidential contenders and his eventual presidential nomination.

At rally after rally, Trump supporters weren’t just heckled by Antifa members, they were very often attacked, and violently so. In fact, the attacks became so violent and so frequent that even President Obama’s FBI and Department of Homeland Security would eventually characterize Antifa-related violence as ‘domestic terrorism.’

But despite these well-documented incidents of violence, not only was Donald Trump blamed, but groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which supposedly monitor hate-related violence, have refused to label Antifa hate group.

Now, thanks to a new report, we know why.

A team of researchers led by Eoin Lenihan, of Stuttgart, Germany, a former teacher who is now an analyst concentrating on online extremism, found that despite Antifa’s well-known acts of violence, reporters and staffers with HuffPost, The Guardian, and the SPLC have nevertheless maintained contact with Antifa activists, PJ Media reported.

Lenihan says that his team “mapped the social interactions of 58,254 Antifa affiliated Twitter accounts based on an initial seed of 16 self-identifying and verifiable Antifa accounts (and Mark Bray who chose not to confirm if he is a member of Antifa but whose book makes a solid case for inclusion).”

We mapped the social interactions of 58,254 Antifa affiliated accounts on Twitter based on an initial seed of 16 self-identifying and verifiable Antifa accounts (and Mark Bray who chose not to confirm if he is a member of Antifa but whose book makes a solid case for inclusion). pic.twitter.com/IveYa9hZ1W

— Dr. Eoin Lenihan (@EoinLenihan) May 15, 2019

He added: “We reduced the dataset to 1.65% of all 58,254 accounts – leaving us with 962 accounts. These were the 1.65% most connected Antifa and Antifa associated accounts on Twitter. Each had a minimum of 8 connections within the initial dataset, most having many more.”

We reduced the dataset to 1.65% of all 58,254 accounts – leaving us with 962 accounts. These were the 1.65% most connected Antifa and Antifa associated accounts on Twitter. Each had a minimum of 8 connections within the initial dataset, most having many more.

— Dr. Eoin Lenihan (@EoinLenihan) May 15, 2019

https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-05-23-report-documents-links-between-antifa-huffpost-the-guardian-splc.html

Notable: US Market Report

US Market Report

The treasury market is squarely in focus today. They are all at record lows(in yield).

See cap#3. This is the 30 year that represents what China holds, Japan is the second highest holder in total dollar-value.

Volumes were below averages again-not even close-the system is trapped here no doubt.

Some Headlines

Oil plummets, on track for biggest weekly drop in 2019

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil/oil-plummets-on-track-for-biggest-weekly-drop-in-2019-idUSKCN1ST01F

U.S., China exchange barbs over Huawei as trade tensions flare

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china/u-s-china-exchange-barbs-over-huawei-as-trade-tensions-flare-idUSKCN1ST0PA?il=0

Crude, Credit, & Yield Curve Collapse As Stock Shorts Soar To 4-Year Highs

PMIs in Japan, Europe, and US all collapsed and risk-asset markets are suddenly waking from their delusions.

PMI's are Purchasing Manger's Index.

WTI Crude crashed to a $57 handle (its worst day of 2019).

See headline above…tick,tock SA.

US equities suffered after Huawei headlines signaled US-China trade tensions are escalating fast (and a base-case 'deal' is disappearing). "Trade War"-related stocks have given up over half their post-December-collapse gains.

He 'ain't lyin' but the reason is not credible-it's the system throwing a fit because they see this deal as the last stand.

Short interest as a percentage of shares outstanding on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, or SPY, climbed as high as 7% this week, according to data from IHS Markit Ltd. That’s the highest share since 2015, when the benchmark gauge for American equities slipped into a correction as Fed officials began boosting rates from near zero.

Eventually this will fuel a big up day because most traders are impatient and can't see much past a few days-used to be one so understand that emotion-POTUS has certainly accounted for this too.

China was ugly overnight as Huawei headlines hit.

Of course, it wouldn't be 'Murican free markets without a panic-rescue-bid (on no headlines whatsoever) into the close.

Ha ha ha you stupid idiot EU sellout- it's called PANIC.

The Dow closed below its 200DMA for the first time since January.

This is the biggest two-day drop in "Most Shorted" stocks since the Dec 24th lows.

You anons from yesterday who are short-and stated it on a public board-don't get too greedy-hope you had an exit point figured out when you made your entry-you should have.

Credit and equity protection costs spiked today (with HY most notably weaker).

This is traders taking out insurance against failure-this is a crowded trade and will get tricky to get a payout if the herd is in here.

See Credit Default Swaps.

Treasury yields tumbled on the day.

See Cap#3-again.

Across the curve this was new cycle lows for yields (5Y and 30Y lowest since Dec 2017, 10Y lowest since Nov 2017, 2Y lowest since Feb 2018).

mmmmmkay…..!

The 10Y Yield plunged below 2.30%!!

Now firmly below the Fed Funds discount rate-stupid is as stupid does Mr Powell.

The yield curve crashed back into inversion.

Markets have seen the biggest two-day drop in 5-10 year inflation expectations since mid-2017, based on futures contracts.

BBBBut how are you going to increase inflation FRB?!- hahahaha

Finally, before we leave rates-land, market expectations for 2019 Fed rate actions have collapsed to a stunning 46bps rate-cut expectation.

Nothing new here-anons know.

Here is the biggest comedy event of the day

Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)

+2.76 (+1.43%)

on about 2.3x average volume….

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-23/crude-crashes-yield-curve-collapses-stock-shorts-soar-4-year-highs

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5EDJI?p=^DJI

https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/bond/tmubmusd30y?countrycode=bx

https://www.dailyfx.com/crude-oil

Notable: POTUS to meet w/ Pentagon officials today re: Sending 5000 troops to Middle East

https://twitter.com/steveholland1/status/1131655417011068929

Notable: Trump memo requires immigrant sponsors to pay for social services

=NEWS=

Trump memo requires immigrant sponsors to pay for social services

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-memorandum-requiring-immigrant-sponsors-pay-social-services

Notable: >>6568847, >>6568876, >>6569000 U.S. charges Assange with 17 moar indictments on top of prior 18/faces death penalty

17

https://twitter.com/IvanPentchoukov/status/1131652866530263040

Notable: Hackers Now Demand $10k Per Day In Baltimore Cryptocurrency Ransomware Attack

Hackers Now Demand $10k Per Day In Baltimore Cryptocurrency Ransomware Attack

Approximately 10,000 Baltimore City government computers remain crippled after a cryptocurrency ransomware attack locked officials out of critical servers, basically paralyzing the city for 14 days and counting.

We were one of the first to report the May 7th attack that brought Baltimore's entire communication network to a standstill. Hackers wanted 13 bitcoins (about $100,000) on day one of the attacks but have since demanded $10,000 per day since city officials refused to pay the ransom late last week.

Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young has warned the attack continues to devastate the city, could take months to recover some servers.

"It's extremely alarming," said City Council President Brandon Scott.

Avi Rubin, a Johns Hopkins computer science professor and cybersecurity expert, told NPR the ransomware used in the attack is "unbreakable," and so powerful that even government specialists cannot crack the code to unlock the city's computer network.

"I don't even think that the NSA would be able to break this algorithm," Rubin said.

"It's believed by the cryptographic community, both the theoreticians as well as the practitioners, to be unbreakable by today's technologies."

This is Baltimore's second cyber attack in a little more than a year. Last March, a ransomware attack on the city's emergency communications network forced dispatchers to relay addresses and other critical information to first responders via phone or text.

As the city remains paralyzed on Wednesday, numerous services provided by the local government are either offline or workarounds have been developed.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-22/hackers-now-demand-10k-day-baltimore-cryptocurrency-ransomware-attack

Notable: Bayer’s Monsanto Faces 8,000 Additional Lawsuits

Bayer’s Monsanto Faces 8,000 Additional Lawsuits After $2 Billion Verdict In Case Of Poisoned Farmer

Over the last three decades, Roundup became synonymous with farming. Farmer John Barton would use a thousand gallons a day just to get rid of the weeds which would grow in his farm just out of Bakersfield in California.

The 3 children of the Barton’s would also regularly help out when using the tractor was not an option. The entire family would go back home, completely soaked in sweat and Roundup. The chemical would be everywhere.

The parent company of Roundup, Monsanto, asserted it was just as safe as regular old table salt. One could even drink it! The chemical would apparently just kill off the weed by getting into its root.

Now Barton is at the ripe old age of 70 and retired from the life of farming since 2010. He intended to shift to the northern part of Idaho along with Mrs. Barton. But, unfortunately for him, Roundup, which was apparently as harmless as table salt, might have resulted in the diagnosis with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His lymph nodes swelling and his life is in shambles.

Mr. Barton is one of the 40 plaintiffs in litigation against Bayer AG, the parent company of Monsanto. The more shocking fact is that there are about 11,000 cases that are pending against the corporation. The cases draw grounds on the use of glyphosate, the primary part of Roundup. It has been a part of the compound since the 1970s.

Fortunately enough, a California federal judge ordered the organization to start mediation and attempt to settle all the cases. Monsanto, however, has been a staunch defender of their product. In all of this hullabaloo, Monsanto was taken over by Bayer last year since the month of June.

https://www.naturalblaze.com/2019/05/bayers-monsanto-faces-8000-additional-lawsuits-after-2-billion-verdict-in-case-of-poisoned-farmer.html

Roundup Lawsuits

Roundup lawsuits claim the weed killer caused several types of cancer like non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, b-cell lymphoma, leukemia, and others. Monsanto faces 13,400+ Roundup lawsuits, including one in which the plaintiff received a jury award of $78.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

https://www.consumersafety.org/legal/roundup-lawsuit/

Notable: Unsealed Indictment on bank CEO Stephen Calk

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/bank-ceo-stephen-m-calk-charged-corruptly-soliciting-presidential-administration

Unsealed indictment.

Notable: Luke AFB currently on lockdown

If not noted already…

Notable: President Donald J. Trump Will Always Support America's Farmers

>>6568632

poolreports

6 minutes ago

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 23, 2019

President Donald J. Trump Will Always Support America's Farmers

On every front, we are fighting for our great farmers, our ranchers, our growers.” – President Donald J. Trump

…

EXPANDING AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS: President Trump is negotiating fair, free, and reciprocal trade deals that remove barriers and open up markets for American farmers.

…

PRODUCING RESULTS FOR FARMERS: President Trump and his Administration are working every day to deliver for American farmers.

…

https://publicpool.kinja.com/subject-president-donald-j-trump-will-always-support-1834987155

Notable: “Mass Sterilization”: Kenyan Doctors Find Anti-fertility Agent in UN Tetanus Vaccine

“Mass Sterilization”: Kenyan Doctors Find Anti-fertility Agent in UN Tetanus Vaccine

According to LifeSiteNews, a Catholic publication, the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association is charging UNICEF and WHO with sterilizing millions of girls and women under cover of an anti-tetanus vaccination program sponsored by the Kenyan government.

The Kenyan government denies there is anything wrong with the vaccine, and says it is perfectly safe.

The Kenya Catholic Doctors Association, however, saw evidence to the contrary, and had six different samples of the tetanus vaccine from various locations around Kenya sent to an independent laboratory in South Africa for testing.

The results confirmed their worst fears: all six samples tested positive for the HCG antigen. The HCG antigen is used in anti-fertility vaccines, but was found present in tetanus vaccines targeted to young girls and women of childbearing age. Dr. Ngare, spokesman for the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association, stated in a bulletin released November 4:

“This proved right our worst fears; that this WHO campaign is not about eradicating neonatal tetanus but a well-coordinated forceful population control mass sterilization exercise using a proven fertility regulating vaccine. This evidence was presented to the Ministry of Health before the third round of immunization but was ignored.” (Source.)

Dr. Ngare brought up several points about the mass tetanus vaccination program in Kenya that caused the Catholic doctors to become suspicious:

Dr. Ngare told LifeSiteNews that several things alerted doctors in the Church’s far-flung medical system of 54 hospitals, 83 health centres, and 17 medical and nursing schools to the possibility the anti-tetanus campaign was secretly an anti-fertility campaign.

Why, they ask does it involve an unprecedented five shots (or “jabs” as they are known, in Kenya) over more than two years and why is it applied only to women of childbearing years, and why is it being conducted without the usual fanfare of government publicity?

“Usually we give a series three shots over two to three years, we give it anyone who comes into the clinic with an open wound, men, women or children.” said Dr. Ngare.

But it is the five vaccination regime that is most alarming. “The only time tetanus vaccine has been given in five doses is when it is used as a carrier in fertility regulating vaccines laced with the pregnancy hormone, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) developed by WHO in 1992.” (Source.)

UNICEF: A History of Taking Advantage of Disasters to Mass Vaccinate

It should be noted that UNICEF and WHO distribute these vaccines for free, and that there are financial incentives for the Kenyan government to participate in these programs. When funds from the UN are not enough to purchase yearly allotments of vaccines, an organization started and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI, provides extra funding for many of these vaccination programs in poor countries. (See: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Vaccine Empire on Trial in India.)

Also, there was no outbreak of tetanus in Kenya, only the perceived “threat” of tetanus due to local flood conditions.

These local disasters are a common reason UNICEF goes into poorer countries with free vaccines to begin mass vaccination programs.

Health Impact News reported last year that UNICEF began a similar mass vaccination program with 500,000 doses of live oral polio vaccine in the Philippines after a Super Typhoon devastated Tacolban and surrounding areas. This was in spite of the fact there were no reported cases of polio in the Philippines since 1993, and people who have had the live polio vaccine can “shed” the virus into sewage systems, thereby causing the actual disease it is supposed to be preventing. (See: No Polio in the Philippines Since 1993, But Mass Polio Vaccination Program Targeted for 500,000 Typhoon Victims Under Age 5.)

https://www.globalresearch.ca/mass-sterilization-kenyan-doctors-find-anti-fertility-agent-un-tetanus-vaccine-2/5678295

Notable: Journalists Charged With 15 Felonies For Undercover Videos Exposing Planned Parenthood Take Hit In Court

Journalists Charged With 15 Felonies For Undercover Videos Exposing Planned Parenthood Take Hit In Court

ournalists David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, who exposed suspect dealings at taxpayer-funded abortion mill Planned Parenthood via undercover videos, were denied a request to halt criminal prosecution, a press release from The Thomas More Society said on Friday.

Last month, the California Supreme Court issued a stay in the high-profile case based on "political bias and selective prosecution." But now the case is moving forward.

Daleiden and Merritt were hit with 15 felony charges in March of 2017 for their undercover work. The charges were widely decried for their threat to journalists, including by the left-wing Los Angeles Times. "Felony charges are a disturbing overreach for the duo behind the Planned Parenthood sting videos," a headline for the outlet warned.

Vice President and Senior Counsel at the Thomas More Society Peter Breen, who is part of Mr. Daleiden’s legal team, blasted the denial to cease prosecution.

"This decision to deny David Daleiden’s Petition for Review means that [California Attorney General] Xavier Becerra, as Planned Parenthood's prosecutor-in-chief, will be able to continue his unconstitutional harassment of David, bringing charges against him that don't pass the 'red face test,'" said Breen.

AG Becerra is an ally of Planned Parenthood; he took over for now-presidential contender Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA). Live Action reports on the potential conflict of interest:

Becerra has publicly promised to “stand with Planned Parenthood,” and both he and his predecessor, now Senator Kamala Harris, have received thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the pro-abortion organization. Both Harris and Becerra maintained their close relationship with Planned Parenthood and its entities even after proceeding with the investigation against Daleiden and Merritt. According to Daleiden’s representation, the Thomas More Society, Planned Parenthood even sponsored and hosted Becerra’s election night victory party.

Liberty Counsel, an organization representing Merritt, blasted the decision to move forward with the case as "selective and discriminatory."

https://www.dailywire.com/news/47471/journalists-charged-15-felonies-undercover-videos-amanda-prestigiacomo

Notable: Ontario Considers Legislation Criminalizing Public Displays of Faith for Christians

Ontario Considers Legislation Criminalizing Public Displays of Faith for Christians

The nation of Canada has been giving us a chilling vision of what it looks like when a western nation completely succumbs to the dangerous ideology of multiculturalism, the cultural Marxism that always inevitably restricts the rights of some to pave the way for the rights of others.

There is no equality in multiculturalism.

Christians have faced increasing adversity in Canada as of late, but new proposed legislation that would make it a crime to publicly express one’s faith is a chilling new low.

In the proposed legislation, it would become illegal for Christians to make any public displays which are deemed hateful to Muslims, LGBT people, and other victim groups as designated by the left. The bill has been dubbed “Prohibiting Hate-Promoting Demonstrations at Queen’s Park Act, 2019,” is part of Canada’s anti-hate laws and would give the government complete freedom to ban all things Christian.

This would mean any Christian protests or demonstrations could potentially be criminalized. Public prayer vigils could be outlawed.

How is this even being considered in a modern, Western nation?!

Life Site News explains how vague the new bill is and how dangerous it is for Christians in Canada:

“The problem with this bill, however, lies in the fact that the definition of “hate” is uncertain under Canadian law. As a result, unfortunately, the use of the word “hate” can be a useful tool for some to prevent differing views from being expressed. That is, the word “hate” can be used to silence opposing views expressed when, in fact, the views are simply a reasonable expression of belief.

This concern is based on actual experience. Canadians have already experienced the contempt shown by the Supreme Court of Canada towards Section 2 of the Charter of Rights which provides for freedom of opinion, expression and religion. In the Trinity Western Christian University case (2018), a private Christian university’s moral covenant was deemed hateful and discriminating. In the Bill Whatcott case (2013), the Supreme Court of Canada concluded that the effects of an expression used, not the communicator’s intent, are what is relevant. The court went on to conclude that “truthful statements and sincerely held beliefs do not affect the finding of “hate”. Mr. Whatcott merely expressed in his pamphlet the well-established facts about homosexuality which the court held to be “hateful”. It is worth noting that the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, presumably consisting of equally learned judges, had previously concluded that the pamphlet was not hateful. The Supreme Court of Canada prides itself on being a “progressive” court and has an established bias as evidenced in a series of decisions that have struck down laws based on traditional values. There is little likelihood that the court will protect tradition-based groups if they are denied the right to demonstrate at the provincial legislature.”

Canada has been opening the door for Islam and the LGBT agenda to take control of their culture for some time now

https://activistmommy.com/ontario-considers-legislation-criminalizing-public-displays-of-faith-for-christians/

Notable: Ewww Washington state approves HUMAN Compost

Washington State becomes first state to say ‘yes’ to human compost

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation on Tuesday making the state the first in the country to legalize human composting.

The law would recognize “natural organic reduction,” sometimes referred to as liquid cremation, as an alternative to traditional burying or cremation, which releases harmful chemicals into the air.

The process uses wood chips, straw and other substances to turn the human body into soil, giving families an environmentally friendly alternative to burial or cremation.

The new law, which goes into effect on May 1, 2020, would allow loved ones to keep the soil to possibly plant vegetables, flowers or even a tree.

The bill, titled “concerning human remains,” passed with bipartisan majorities in both chambers of the state legislature: 80-16 in the House and 38-11 in the Senate.

State lawmakers said the bill was inspired by Katrina Spade, who came up with the idea for human composting as a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She went on to found Recompose, a nonprofit that aims to create the country’s first public organic reduction funeral home, according to its website.

“Recomposition allows us to give back to the earth that supports us all our lives,” the company said on its website. “In addition to creating a system that will gently return us to the earth, we encourage participation and strive to make the experience transparent and meaningful for everyone.”

Inslee, who is currently running for president, has made climate change and environmental concerns the main platform of his campaign.

https://www.thedailysheeple.com/washington-state-becomes-first-state-to-say-yes-to-human-compost/

Are they planning for lots of bodies???

Notable: Neal to sue Trump administration over denial of tax returns

Neal to sue Trump administration over denial of tax returns

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said Thursday that he plans to take the Trump administration to court to enforce a subpoena and a legal request to review President Trump’s tax returns.

“I’ve always thought that’s where this was going to end up,” the Massachusetts Democrat said when asked if he planned to sue. He said that the committee was “likely to have some action on [Trump’s taxes] in a few days.” The move was expected after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declined Neal's demand for Trump's tax information and then declined to cooperate with a subsequent subpoena, claiming Neal's request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose. An internal memo drafted by an IRS lawyer reportedly determined that the agency and the Treasury Department had no choice but to comply with the request, unless Trump invoked executive privilege. Asked about the memo during congressional testimony Wednesday, Mnuchin denied knowledge of it.

Separately, Neal downplayed the effect of a New York State Assembly vote Wednesday to grant Congress access to New York state tax returns upon request of the House Ways and Means committee chairman, Senate Finance Committee chairman, or the chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation. The New York bill, expected to be signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, mirrors the federal law invoked by Neal in his pursuit of Trump’s personal and business returns. Neal said that, as a federal elected official, his jurisdiction doesn’t include state tax compliance, but that the state returns could provide a fuller picture of Trump's finances, alongside Trump’s federal returns, if his committee ultimately obtains them. “I mean, obviously they’re traveling in the same direction, the difficulty is we don’t have control over state taxes,” said Neal. “I wouldn’t say it’s apples and oranges but I would say it’s green apples and red apples.” Neal added that he is encouraged by recent federal rulings in court that upheld other congressional investigations into Trump’s finances for potential conflicts of interest. “It’s based on Article I of the Constitution, it’s not based on malevolence … this is based on the idea that it’s about congressional oversight,” said Neal.

Congressional Republicans and Trump’s lawyers have argued that Neal’s request, alongside other investigations into Trump’s finances, is purely political, while Neal and congressional Democrats argue that Congress has a constitutional right to know whether Trump broke the law. On Monday, a federal judge ruled that a subpoena of Trump’s accounting firm by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee could move forward, after Trump’s lawyers requested it be blocked. On Wednesday the committee, the accounting firm, and Trump’s attorneys jointly filed for an expedited consideration of Trump’s appeal.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/neal-to-sue-trump-administration-over-denial-of-tax-returns

Notable: Israeli kingpin wanted for sex trafficking arrested in Portugal

Israeli kingpin wanted for sex trafficking arrested in Portugal

An Israeli man wanted by Colombia for sex trafficking, including of minors, was arrested in Portugal yesterday, according to a police statement.

Police arrested Assi Ben-Mosh, 45, near Lisbon while in possession of fake Israeli identity documents, Spain’s Guardia Civil police force says in a statement.

He is suspected of having operated a “bunker-like” hotel in Taganga, a Colombian fishing village that has become popular with backpackers, where young women and underage girls were sexually exploited, the statement says.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israeli-kingpin-wanted-for-sex-trafficking-arrested-in-portugal/

Notable: Trump fires back at 'dumb as a rock' Tillerson on Putin

Trump fires back at 'dumb as a rock' Tillerson on Putin

President Trump on Thursday blasted Rex Tillerson after The Washington Post reported that the former secretary of State told lawmakers that Russian President Vladimir Putin was better prepared than Trump for a meeting in 2017.

"Rex Tillerson, a man who is 'dumb as a rock' and totally ill prepared and ill equipped to be Secretary of State, made up a story (he got fired) that I was out-prepared by Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Hamburg, Germany," Trump tweeted.

"I don’t think Putin would agree. Look how the U.S. is doing!"

The president nominated Tillerson as secretary of State at the outset of his administration, and fired him in March 2018 amid numerous clashes over U.S. foreign policy.

The Post reported that Tillerson spent hours meeting with the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, where he provided insight about the president's foreign policy strategy.

Tillerson told the panel that Putin out-prepared Trump during the meeting in Hamburg, and said he believed there was more the U.S. needed to do to confront Russia, according to the newspaper.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders appeared on CNN's "New Day" a short time after Trump tweeted about Tillerson, and defended the president's preparation for the meeting with Putin in Germany and its outcome.

She did not directly answer, however, when asked why Trump nominated someone he has since derided as "dumb as a rock" and "ill equipped" for the job.

Thursday's tweet marked the latest barb in the acrimonious relationship between Trump and his former top diplomat.

Tillerson reportedly called the president a "moron" while serving in the administration, straining their relationship. Trump at times undercut the then-secretary of State on talks with North Korea and other issues before firing him over Twitter.

In December, Tillerson criticized the president during a fundraising event in Houston, saying Trump was undisciplined and would suggest taking actions that would break the law. The two men "did not have a common value system," he said.

Trump hit back a short time later, calling Tillerson "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell."

Trump has repeatedly defended his posture toward Russia, simultaneously arguing that no administration has been tougher on the Kremlin and that it would be beneficial to get along with Moscow.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/445171-trump-blasts-tillerson-after-he-told-lawmakers-putin-was-better

Notable: SFPD Earning Universal Condemnation For Raiding A Journalist's Home

SFPD Earning Universal Condemnation For Raiding A Journalist's Home During Its Internal Leak Investigation

When the San Francisco Police Department decided to externalize its internal investigation of a leaked document, things got unlawful and unconstitutional in a hurry. Deciding the best way to sniff out the leaker of a police report detailing the death of prominent public defender Jeff Adachi was through the front door of a local journalist, the SFPD now has a lot of explaining to do.

The SFPD raided journalist Bryan Carmody's home supposedly to find information that would lead them to one of its own officers. Carmody is a stringer and had shopped around a copy of the police report someone inside the SFPD leaked to him. None of this is criminal. Nothing about Carmody's information-gathering fell outside of the law. If anyone broke the law, it was the officer or PD employee who gave him the report.

That fact notwithstanding, officers showed up at Carmody's house and – after waging a losing battle with an impressive front gate – handcuffed him for six hours while confiscating $10,000-worth of electronic devices and computers. It's safe to assume these items contained plenty of information Carmody had gathered from other sources, as well as information about those sources. Again, this search and seizure violated the state's journalist shield law, if not the US Constitution itself.

Carmody has released security footage of the SFPD's arrival. One can only assume his front gate will be facing obstruction of justice charges.

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20190521/15032342254/sfpd-earning-universal-condemnation-raiding-journalists-home-during-internal-leak-investigation.shtml

Notable: Bipartisan $19B Diasaster Aid Funding Deal

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1131635735734497280

Notable: Dennis Burke is linked to Trent Franks is linked to Evan Mecham | MX Morman Mafia

Dennis Burke Digg

Dennis Burke is linked to Trent Franks is linked to Evan Mecham | MX Morman Mafia

'Dennis Burke' (QResearch) comes back with (1) DNC Email & (8) Podesta's.

DNC Email| CQ Schedules for the House/2016 (Lengthy)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FALSE CLAIMS ACT OVERSIGHT

4 p.m. April 28, 2141 Rayburn Bldg.

Subcommittee Hearing

Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee (Chairman Trent Franks, R-Ariz.) of House Judiciary

Committee hearing on "Oversight of the False Claims Act."

Dennis Burke, president and CEO of the Good Shepherd Health Care System

Larry Thompson, professor in corporate and business law in the University of Georgia School of Law

Neil Getnick, partner at Getnick & Getnick LLP

Jonathan Diesenhaus, partner at Hogan Lovells US LLP

>https://www.wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/34886

==============================================

Trent Franks & Evan Mecham are linked here

The National Center for Constitutional Studies (NCCS) is a conservative, religious-themed organization, founded by Latter-day Saint political writer W. Cleon Skousen. It was formerly known as The Freemen Institute.

The center had its origins when in 1967 Skousen, a professor at Brigham Young University, organized an off-campus institute for constitutional studies. In 1971, this was formerly christened as The Freemen Institute. It was later given its current name and its headquarters moved to Washington, D.C.[1]

The center ran conferences in the 1980s and 1990s through a non-profit it controlled called "The Making of America Conferences, Inc." Board members of this non-profit included Skousen, William H. Doughty, Donald N. Sills, and Glenn Kimber. Impeached Arizona governor Evan Mecham was also a regular donor to the center.

>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Center_for_Constitutional_Studies

===============================================

Evan Mecham

Impeachment and criminal charges

On October 21, 1987, the Arizona Republic ran a story claiming that Mecham had failed to report a $350,000 loan from local real-estate developer Barry Wolfson to Mecham's election campaign as required by campaign financing laws.[50] These claims were added to a grand jury investigation into allegations that Mecham had loaned $80,000 in public funds to help his auto dealership.[51] Upon learning of the alleged Wolfson loan, the Speaker of Arizona's House of Representatives hired a special counsel to investigate the charges.[52] The third and final impeachment charge involved an alleged death threat to a government official by Horace Lee Watkins, a Mecham appointee, in November 1987. When Mecham was informed of the threat, it was reported that he instructed the head of the Arizona Department of Public Safety not to provide information on the incident to the attorney general.[53]

On January 8, 1988, a grand jury issued indictments against Evan Mecham and Willard Mecham, the Governor's brother and campaign finance manager, charging three counts of perjury, two counts of fraud, and one count of failing to report a campaign contribution. Mecham and his brother faced 22 years in prison if convicted on all charges.[54][55]

>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Mecham

Notable: Trump administration announces $16 billion farm aid plan

Trump administration announces $16 billion farm aid plan to offset trade war losses

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a $16 billion farm aid package to offset losses from a 10-month trade war with China and said payment rates to farmers would be determined by where they farm rather than what crops they grow. The package, the bulk of which will be spent on direct payments, surprised growers and traders who had expected to learn separate payment rates for soybeans, hogs, corn and other crops in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) briefing. Farmers, a key constituency that helped carry U.S. President Donald Trump to his 2016 electoral win, have been among the hardest hit from a trade dispute with China, once a destination for more than 60 percent of U.S. soybean exports.

The trade dispute, which escalated this month after Washington and Beijing hiked tariffs on imports of each other’s goods, has left U.S. farmers sitting on record volumes of soybeans with China halting purchases. USDA officials said on Thursday they will roll out $14.5 billion in direct payments in three separate tranches with the first one planned for late July. “The package we are announcing today ensures that farmers will not bear the brunt of those trade practices by China or any other nations,” Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said. “While farmers would tell you they’d rather have trade not aid, without the trade … they’re going to need some support.”

China, the world’s top soybean importer, curbed purchases of U.S. soy last year when Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, prompting China to retaliate with tariffs on U.S. soy, pork, corn and other products. An imminent trade deal between Washington and Beijing seems unlikely as the trade tensions between the world’s top two economies rose after U.S. placed China’s Huawei Technologies on a trade blacklist last week, triggering sharp protest from China. Perdue also said the second and third tranches, with exact amounts yet to be decided, will be dependant on the progress in the trade talks and whether the U.S. will get a deal with China. The total package also includes $1.4 billion of support through food purchases and $100 million allocated to development of foreign markets.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-aid/trump-administration-announces-16-billion-farm-aid-plan-to-offset-trade-war-losses-idUSKCN1ST1F6?il=0

Notable: JPMorgan cuts ties with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma

Exclusive: JPMorgan cuts ties with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma - sources

(Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co has cut ties with Purdue Pharma LP over the OxyContin maker’s alleged role in the U.S. opioid crisis, forcing it to find a new bank to manage cash and bill payments, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The move makes JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank by assets, the most high-profile corporation known to have distanced itself from Purdue and its wealthy owners, the Sackler family, amid thousands of lawsuits alleging the company pushed addictive painkillers while downplaying their abuse and overdose risks.

JPMorgan’s decision also underscores a drive among U.S. banks to reassess their relationships with clients and industries in response to controversy and political debates over matters such as immigration detention and mass shootings. After JPMorgan informed Purdue in March that it had six months to find another bank, Purdue tapped Dallas-based regional bank Comerica Inc to handle its financial transactions and accounts, the sources said. JPMorgan told Purdue that reputational risks associated with the public backlash against the drugmaker informed its decision to cut business ties, the sources added.

While not a lender to Purdue, JPMorgan’s commercial bank managed the company’s cash and bill payments, according to the sources. It is not clear how long JPMorgan served as Purdue’s bank. “Purdue is a streamlined organization with an exciting pipeline of new medicines and significant cash reserves,” the company said in a statement. “The company has multiple banking relationships and will not have any interruption to its banking and financial service needs.” JPMorgan and Comerica declined to comment.

Purdue faces roughly 2,000 lawsuits accusing the Stamford, Connecticut-based company, and increasingly the Sacklers, of aggressively marketing prescription opioids while misleading prescribers and consumers about risks from their prolonged use. U.S. states, counties and cities are seeking billions of dollars in damages to address harm from opioids. Nearly 400,000 people have died after overdosing on opioids between 1999 and 2017, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half the deaths resulted from prescription painkillers.

Purdue denies it contributed to the U.S. opioid crisis, pointing to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals of labels for the company’s drugs that carried warnings about risk and abuse associated with treating pain. Purdue and its family owners argue that heroin and fentanyl are currently more significant culprits in the opioid epidemic. However, health experts have said many people turn to those drugs after first getting hooked on prescription painkillers.

In March, Purdue and the Sackler family reached a $270 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma, which on Tuesday is set to take two other drugmakers to trial over claims they also helped fuel the opioid epidemic. Dozens of other states have lawsuits pending against Purdue, and in some instances the Sacklers, who made a financial contribution to the Oklahoma settlement even though they were not defendants in the case. A North Dakota judge earlier this month dismissed that state’s case against Purdue. Purdue Chief Executive Officer Craig Landau in March said a bankruptcy filing remained an option for the company to address potential liabilities from widespread litigation.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-purdue-pharma-jp-morgan-exclusive/exclusive-jpmorgan-cuts-ties-with-oxycontin-maker-purdue-pharma-sources-idUSKCN1ST2EA?il=0

Notable: Israel Foreign Ministry on verge of collapse

Israel Foreign Ministry on verge of collapse

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is facing a severe financial crisis that has almost completely paralysed the ministry’s diplomatic activity after the budget deficit reached 400 million shekels ($110.7 million), Israel Hayom reported today.

The newspaper quoted sources in the ministry saying that the body’s political activity is almost completely suspended, and that many steps are being cancelled because of the budget deficit. Among these steps is the purchase of land for the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, which was cancelled because the ministry was unable to afford a plane ticket for official in charge of purchases.

In addition, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation at the ministry, which is responsible for relations with developing countries, has not completed any activity since the beginning of the year. Sources said that “no new sessions are being held, no delegations have been coming to the country, and there is a travel ban.”

Israeli ambassadors, consuls and diplomats have not been participating in conferences and meetings because of the lack of necessary budgets for their travel, they added. “Not only can we not afford air travel, but sometimes we are invited to economic or business conferences and say that we cannot attend because of scheduling problems, because it is shameful to say that we do not have the money for a train ticket,” one Israeli consul to an Asian country explained.

A senior official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry indicated that “countries worldwide are asking us to open representative offices in their territories; but, we are forced instead to close our already existing representative offices. Even the offices that continue to work are doing so despite a shortage of budgets and staff, which does not occur in any other foreign ministry in the world. How can Israel strengthen its international position if the authorities are reducing the resources dedicated to this purpose? The ministry is collapsing. After three or four years they will ask how we have lost our relation with a large number of countries. Things which are not done today will cause tremendous damage that we will pay for years from now.”

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190523-israel-foreign-ministry-on-verge-of-collapse/

Notable: Israel launches massive recruitment drive for social media warriors

Israel launches massive recruitment drive for social media warriors

Israel has embarked on a massive recruitment drive to support the country’s online propaganda campaign one day after its companies were exposed for spreading disinformation and meddling in the elections of several African, Asian and Latin American countries.

The new initiative, which would see the government funding pro-Israel groups overseas, was unveiled by Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, a government arm set up to combat the global rise of pro-Palestinian activism and Israel’s poor global image.

Launching the initiative, Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, who is also the public security minister, was quoted by the Times of Israel saying: “I’m proud to launch the first [government] program to support pro-Israel organizations and activists around the world.”

The plan will “encourage grassroots events and online initiatives against the BDS [boycott] movement and in support of Israel. I’m certain that this program will give a significant boost to all our supporters around the world who are battling this anti-Semitism and the boycott activists,” added Erdan.

Details of the tendering process for recruiting pro-Israeli activists was published in the Jewish Chronicle on 17 May a day after Israeli firms were kicked out by social media giant, Facebook, for spreading disinformation by posing as local journalists and influencers working in several African, Asian and Latin American countries.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190523-israel-launches-massive-recruitment-drive-for-social-media-warriors/

Notable: Lindh Praised ISIS In 2015 Handwritten Letter

‘American Taliban’ John Walker Lindh Praised ISIS In 2015 Handwritten Letter

John Walker Lindh, set to be released from prison Thursday, wrote a handwritten letter to NBC’s Los Angeles station praising the Islamic State.

Lindh pleaded guilty in 2002 to charges of providing support to the Taliban and carrying a rifle and grenade. The now-38-year-old from California has served 17 years of a 20-year sentence.

In one of four letters sent to the Los Angeles NBC station, KNBC, Lindh responded to a reporter’s question of whether ISIS represented Islam, according to NBC News.

“Yes, and they are doing a spectacular job,” Lindh wrote in the February 2015 handwritten response, NBC4 Los Angeles reported. “The Islamic State is clearly very sincere and serious about fulfilling the long-neglected religious obligation of establishing a caliphate through armed struggle, which is the only correct method.”

These comments came after ISIS publicized videos showing the beheading of numerous American journalists in 2014, according to NBC News.

Lindh has spent his time in jail learning about Islam and said that he is a political prisoner in another letter to the NBC reporter.

“We are in prison due to our beliefs and the practice of our religion, not for committing any crime,” Lindh wrote in a March 2014 letter, according to NBC4 Los Angeles.

The reporter asked through correspondence if time behind bars had changed him.

Lindh responded: “I feel honoured to have been able to take part in the Afghan Jihad and to contribute to the defence of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, albeit only in a very limited capacity.” (RELATED: John Walker Lindh Seeks Ind. Prison Prayer Ruling)

Lindh signed his letters with the name Yahya.

During prison, Lindh joined a successful 2010 American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit that sought to allow Muslim prisoners at Terre Haute’s Communications Management Unit to participate in group prayer.

The National Counterterrorism Center published a 2017 report that said Lindh “continued to advocate for global jihad.” He allegedly made comments saying that he would continue to “spread violent extremist Islam upon his release.”

Lindh said that he “made a mistake by joining the Taliban” in the 2002 trial.

Lindh’s early release has sparked wide concern, including from Sens. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican and New Hampshire Democrat Maggie Hasson, as well as former CIA officer Bryan Dean Wright. Also expressing criticism was Johnny Spann, the father of CIA operative Johnny Micheal Spann who was killed during a 2001 prisoner uprising in Afghanistan shortly after interrogating Lindh. (RELATED: ‘American Taliban’ John Walker Lindh To Be Released Thursday)

He will be under strict rules upon his release that were imposed by Judge T.S. Ellis. These include being banned from foreign travel and total monitoring of his internet use.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/23/american-taliban-john-walker-lindh-isis-praise/

Notable: Dozen Children Expose Network of Pedophile Cops

Over a Dozen Children Come Forward, Exposing Network of Pedophile Cops Abusing Them for Years

Inside information into the years-long child abuse saga involving Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) officers is now being revealed. The city commissioned former U.S. Attorney Kerry Harvey to investigate the LMPD Explorers program for children to determine if sexual misconduct, abuse, and even rape were widespread with police officers involved in the program.

Hardly an isolated incident, in total, a series of seven lawsuits names more than eight current or former LMPD officers.

In a disturbing description to FOX News this week, one of the victims went into graphic detail on how he was abused and raped by people he looked up to.

“C.F.,” who uses a pseudonym to protect his identity in a civil lawsuit, said that what should have been a golden opportunity to learn about law enforcement became a nightmare of exploitation and sexual abuse.

Two former LMPD officers have already been convicted of serious crimes, as The Free Thought Project reported, and the city, with good reason, wanted to know more about how police handled the complaints from parents and reports children were being groomed, propositioned, and even raped.

As TFTP reported in October 2017:

Brandon Wood…allegedly raped a teenage boy, both in [his] car and in a residence, and filmed the crime for the purposes of producing pornography. [Kenneth] Betts and Wood were police officer mentors in the Youth Explorer Program for kids who want to one day become law enforcement officers. It was inside the mentorship program that they are accused of finding their victims.

As FOX reports, Wood pled guilty to a federal attempted enticement charges and is scheduled to be sentenced May 28. Betts pled guilty to federal enticement and and child pornography charges and will be sentenced May 23, although that date could be delayed.

Betts struck a plea deal which was going to allow him to only serve 10-15 years, but U.S. District Judge David Hale said this sentence was too lenient and issued a continuance for sentencing to get Betts to serve more time. The original accusations were followed by lawsuits with one lawyer reportedly representing five victims abused by officers inside the Explorers program. Now, that number has jumped to 15 victims.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/children-come-forward-cops-sexually-abuse/

Notable: Criticisms of new SAT adversity score continue to mount

Criticisms of new SAT adversity score continue to mount

The recent decision by the Scholastic Aptitude Test to add a so-called adversity score to test takers’ results for college admissions’ officials to weigh has been almost universally panned. Few think it’s a good idea to give students an “overall disadvantage level” ranking.

First, conservative scholar Heather Mac Donald laid out several big problems with the new index, noting it’s basically affirmative action and reinforces the soft bigotry of low expectations. The College Fix’s senior reporter Christian Schneider also weighed in, calling it “just another invitation for fraud.”

“Clearly, lying about one’s racial identity is wrong – but in a country where racial makeup is growing more complex and college admittance is as competitive as ever, students can hardly be blamed for trying to give themselves a leg up,” he opined. “Colleges are basically begging to be duped – this is akin to publishing your HBO NOW login credentials online and politely asking people not to use your password to watch ‘Game of Thrones.'”

Over at The Daily Signal, Kenny Xu, a math major at Davidson College, pointed out that “the SAT’s new ‘adversity score’ isn’t just unfair. It’s self-destructive.” Xu wrote: Only a few of the 15 factors used to determine a student’s adversity score have been revealed. But it’s unlikely that any of them will include irregular hardships, such as “My father died when I was little” or “I was bullied in middle school.” The College Board’s overreaching attempt to determine what constitutes “adversity” for millions upon millions of high school students in America will inevitably capture only certain visible, easily researchable fractions of a student’s experience—a small portion of who they really are. After all, the aspects that usually affect students’ lives the most are not easily researchable and are not stored in the public databases the College Board plans to mine. The sweeping, collective generalizations this adversity score will make about a person will hinder a student’s ability to craft his own story and advocate for himself.

The Wall Street Journal also came out against the plan. Its editorial board argued that the score “looks like a way to undermine one of the last objective measures of academic merit.” Also weighing in, deputy editor of The Journal’s editorial page Daniel Henninger linked the new adversity index to the recent college admissions scandal to paint a grim picture: The admissions scandal and the uproar over the new index literally have nothing to do with each other but in fact are about the same question: Are colleges, in pursuit of poor, mostly black students, putting a thumb on the admissions scales in a way that dilutes if not eviscerates the idea of achievement based on individual merit? The grim reality of what no doubt were liberal, socially aware parents resorting to bribes says, yes, higher education has a credibility problem. … Accurately identifying and rescuing diamonds in the rough isn’t the worst way to level life’s playing field. But higher ed’s hyperactive race-consciousness has damaged the public’s faith in the admissions process. And will Asian students get shafted no matter what because they live on the wrong end of the bell curve?

Even a writer for Slate isn’t a fan: “Though these metrics appear to be a well-intentioned effort to guide schools toward more holistic admissions standards, it’s unsettling that a student’s fate could be determined by an opaque algorithm.”

The adversity index, or overall disadvantage level, or environmental context score — or whatever it’s being called now — is still a limited pilot program. But the initial responses and criticisms show most people thinks it’s a bad idea. If the SAT hopes to retain its relevancy, it should correct course.

https://www.thecollegefix.com/criticisms-of-new-sat-adversity-score-continue-to-mount/

Notable: Oil slumps 5%, U.S. crude at its cheapest since March

Oil slumps 5%, U.S. crude at its cheapest since March

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices plunged about 5% on Thursday, with U.S. crude at its lowest since March, as trade tensions dampened the demand outlook, putting the crude benchmarks on course for their biggest daily and weekly falls in six months.

World shares were deep in the red as concerns grew the China-U.S. trade conflict was fast turning into a technology cold war between the world’s two largest economies.

“Again, we’re seeing the effect of worries about the trade issue on demand,” said Gene McGillian, Vice President at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. Funds and money managers who had built up long positions are “heading to the exits” as trade concerns dim the demand outlook, he said.

Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, hit a session low of $67.53 per barrel, trading down $3.15, or 4.5%, at $67.84 by 11:19 a.m. EDT (1519 GMT).

Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down by $3.21, or 5.2%, at $58.19 per barrel. The contract earlier fell to a session low of $57.92, the lowest since March 15.

WTI dropped 2.5% on Wednesday after government data showed that U.S. crude inventories rose last week, hitting their highest levels since July 2017.

While the ongoing trade war between the United States and China is the main cloud over economic growth and demand predictions, other bearish factors also weighed on the market.

Euro zone business growth accelerated less than expected this month, a survey showed. IHS Markit’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which is considered a good guide to economic health, only nudged up to 51.6 this month from a final April reading of 51.5, below the median expectation in a Reuters poll for 51.7.

Additionally, tensions between the U.S. and Iran are decreasing, some analysts said.

“The administration seems to be tamping down the president’s rhetoric on Iran,” said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital in New York.

The oil market has built in risk premium related to U.S. sanctions on Iran, and that risk is now seen decreasing, he said.

Countering these bearish factors are ongoing supply cuts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

French bank BNP Paribas said high inventories meant that OPEC would likely keep its voluntary supply cuts in place beyond their current end-June deadline.

Global geopolitical risk was still sufficient to provide a floor for oil prices, said Again’s Kilduff.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil/oil-slumps-5-u-s-crude-at-its-cheapest-since-march-idUSKCN1ST01F

https://www.dailyfx.com/crude-oil

Notable: >>6567650, >>6567733 Jussie Smollett's criminal documents ordered unsealed

=NEWS=

Jussie Smollett's criminal documents ordered unsealed

https://www.foxnews.com/us/jussie-smollett-criminal-docs-ordered-to-be-unsealed

Notable: SEC Never Collects On Nearly Half Of The Fines It Levies

The SEC Never Collects On Nearly Half Of The Fines It Levies

It used to be bad enough that the SEC wouldn’t show up to “regulate” until schemes like Madoff and Enron had already collapsed on their own. Now, the inefficiency at the agency looks to have gone one step further, as we are finding out the SEC “never collects” much of the money that it seeks in fines from wrongdoers, according to the Wall Street Journal. The SEC took in just 55% of the $20 billion in fines it sought through settlements or judgments in the five years that ended September 2018, according to agency statistics. In the five years prior to that, the SEC collected on just 60% of the $14.6 billion in fines it issued. And 2018 has been far worse. The commission took in just 28% of the almost $4 billion that it fined, marking the lowest rate in a decade, resulting from a $1.7 billion settlement with Petrobras that “may never require payment to the SEC”.

Instead, the settlement allows the company to give the money to Brazilian authorities and other regulators. Those who were behind ponzi schemes or those who went to prison on criminal charges are the unlikeliest to pay fines. And the main challenge for the SEC is that they don’t have the right to seize property or assets to get payment. Instead, they have to rely on filing liens against defendants or going to court to get contempt orders. Brad Bennett, a former enforcement director at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority said: “It’s difficult, and they have to be especially persistent to get the numbers up.”

The Government Accountability Office criticized the SEC in 2014 for lapses in its record keeping that understated the amounts owed by defendants by "at least $42 million". But don't worry, according to the report, the commission has been "building a new computer system to track unpaid fines" since then. Ignoring that this was more than a half decade ago, perhaps someone could have informed the SEC that electronic spreadsheets have been around for nearly 4 decades.

Instead, the agency has written off more than $10 billion in fines since 2019, including monetary penalties and disgorgement. At the end of 2018, the agency was owed about $1.5 billion but only expected to collect $228 million, according to its financial statements. John Nester, an SEC spokesman, said: “We have a committed group of attorneys and paralegals in the dedicated office of collections who work hard to collect these funds, many of which will be distributed to harmed investors.”

The SEC often measures its success by how much it can levy in fines and how much it can collect. In the case of the Petrobras settlement, the SEC is taking credit for a fine that it will likely never collect. Excluding the case from 2018 data, the SEC's collection rate would’ve been closer to about 51%.

And it is an arduous process. For example, in April the SEC asked a federal judge in Georgia to enforce a five-year-old judgment against an advisor who is required to pay more than $360,000. The defendant, Ernie Montford, has been paying the SEC monthly from his Social Security income, but that has only yielded about $21,000 so far. Montford, 71 years old, said: “The SEC stomps on little firms like mine. If I could have paid more, I would have paid them.” The CFTC, for comparison, boosted its recovery rate in 2018 after years of volatile performance. It collected $857 million in 2018, topping 90% of the fines that it issued. That amount collected may include cash tied to cases that were concluded in prior years, according to the way the CFTC reports its numbers. In 2016, the agency reported collecting about 479 million, or 37% of the fines that it ordered. Michael Shaub, a professor of accounting and accounting ethics at Texas A&M University, concluded: “From a public-policy perspective, people would rather see bad guys fund the SEC than good guys.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-21/sec-never-collects-nearly-half-fines-it-levies

Notable: Diane Feinsten had dinner mtg with Iranian minister

https://nypost.com/2019/05/23/dianne-feinstein-had-dinner-meeting-with-iranian-minister-amid-us-tensions/

Notable: New poll: 4 of 5 largest parties in the EU elections will be nationalist-populist

New poll: 4 of 5 largest parties in the EU elections will be nationalist-populist

Four of the five largest parties in this week’s European Parliament elections will be nationalist-populist eurosceptics according to the website EuropeElects.

The data collected by the website, show the Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage is likely to cause a huge upset and take the most seats of any single party on the continent with 28 elected MEPs.

The Brexit Party’s staggering lead over the second place Liberal Democrats has meant that Mr Farage’s party now polls better than the Conservatives and the Labour Party combined.

On second place with 25 projected MEPs is the League party led by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who has made a real effort to unite the eurosceptic conservatives and the populist movement ahead of the elections.

Salvini has also rejected working with the German Christian Democratic Union, who are likely to come in third place, saying that Chancellor Angela Merkel, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, had “ruined” Europe.

he conservative Law and Justice party, the ruling party in Poland, is expected to win 22 seats in the European Parliament and is well-known as being a strong ally of conservative Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

The French populist National Rally is also looking to cause a huge upset in the election and is currently looking at a victory over the party of sitting French President Emmanuel Macron.

National Rally leader and former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has labelled the EU vote a referendum on the presidency of Macron and said earlier this month that if his La République En Marche! lose the election then he must resign as president.

“So it becomes a referendum for or against Emmanuel Macron, this European election. I accept that, but in these conditions, he must do as General De Gaulle: if he loses this election, then he will have to leave”, she said.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2019/05/new-poll-4-of-5-largest-parties-in-the-eu-elections-will-be-nationalist-populist/

Notable: Anon objects to "volcano" interpretation of 17 sec cycle Mayotte signature

WE must change the narrative

give me a flipp'in break!

>>6564714 (pb) article spoke to November 11 - 17 second cycle signature and FRENCH 'researchers' are stating it was from the formation of a new volcano. I call BULLSHIT!! This is an attempt to change the narrative and I'm hoping that anons don't fall for it.

Please remember: the INITIAL reaction to this phenom was "we've NEVER seen a signature like this before; it rung the earth like a bell AND it was initially detected by a "earthquake enthusiast".

This articles associated with the above post are an attempt to change the narrative. PERIOD.